A Matter of Alignment

A metal ballpoint pen rested beside the ceramic coaster, skewed at an uneven angle across the wood grain. The slant disrupted the calm geometry of the table. I braced my hind limbs against the polished oak and pressed my forepaw against the pen's metal clip. It resisted initially, then rolled half an inch with a dry click. I paused, assessing the gap. One more deliberate tap brought its barrel parallel to the coaster’s straight rim. Now the lines agree. I settled back on my haunches to observe the balanced plane.