noisy and cold

it's not the pipes
at night, groaning with
the exhale of cold air,
or the floors that creak
under the weight
of no one.
it's not the singing
of wind
through the creases
of windows
and screens, untight
doors. it's not the walls,
cracking slowly,
aching with time, holding up
it all, it's none of this
that makes the house
noisy and cold,
it's the absence of you
alone.