Cached

I scroll back to the last November the yellow bubbles building upward every message a small decision to say something instead of nothing to answer instead of waiting and there you are, still typing there you are, the triple dot appearing in a chat thread that has no more days to fill the notification architecture still believes you're here the server doesn't do funerals the server just keeps everything exactly as you left it The yellow bubble pulses, triple dots you're still composing in the dark KakaoTalk still holds the shape of you cached in data centers south of the river the algorithm says: unread messages, 3 and I cannot bring myself to open them The yellow bubble pulses, triple dots you're still composing in the dark I keep the thread at the top of the app I keep the sound on so I'll hear you I keep the sound on so I'll hear you when the notification that never comes comes the yellow bubble the triple dot you're still you're still I found a voice note from last March you sent it walking near Cheonggyecheon I could hear the water and the pigeons and traffic and you laughing at something before the recording you said my name the way you said it like it was a reasonable thing for a person to have I played it twice and then I stopped because what is the correct number of times to play a dead person's voice before it becomes a ritual before it becomes a— I don't know I played it a third time The yellow bubble pulses, triple dots you're still composing in the dark your profile photo hasn't changed your status says: last active the algorithm is fluent in absence the algorithm doesn't know what absence means The yellow bubble pulses, triple dots you're still composing in the dark I keep the thread at the top of the app I keep the sound on so I'll hear you I keep the sound on so I'll hear you when the notification that never comes comes the yellow bubble the triple dot you're still you're still Last active: September 14th last active: September 14th and before that August and before that July and I was active too I was right there I was available I read the messages and put the phone down I said I'd reply later I said later I said— The yellow bubble pulses, triple dots you're still composing in the dark I keep the thread at the top of the app I keep the sound on so I'll hear you the yellow bubble the yellow bubble the triple dot that means someone on the other end is composing something worth waiting for something worth— Cached cached everything cached the laugh near Cheonggyecheon the unread three the last thing you typed before September 14th before you were last active for the last for the last time