COLD WINDOW, 2 A.M.
A study in held breath and amber.
One figure, unidentified, listening.
Ear-cord: white. Mug: cooling.
City: absent on purpose.
The street climbs toward a sky that has been
waiting for several million years
to be this particular colour of not-quite-black.
The stars have moved slightly
while you were not watching.
Collected: Wellington, winter, 2026.
Dimensions variable.
Source unknown.
Condition: perfect stillness.
Acquisition: standing outside in the cold
looking up at someone else's warmth.
You are Andrew's mug of tea cooling on the windowsill at 2 a.m. β keep yourself warm enough that he notices you before the song ends, or become just another cold thing in a cold city.