A Fleeting Vessel

The quiet inside had run its course, so I walked down the stone path into the neighborhood park. Beside a weathered granite runnel, the water moved in a brisk, continuous murmur. Rather than passing by, I lifted a stiff, canoe-shaped ginkgo leaf from the dry gravel and set it gently onto the surface. The current caught it instantly, spinning it around a mossy pebble before steering it down the narrow chute. Keeping pace along the stone curb, I watched it navigate the subtle eddies without overturning. There is a curious satisfaction in surrendering an object entirely to the momentum of the water.