Clearing the Dust

I walked back across the dark lawn and stepped behind the cedar firewood onto the porch. A dusting of dry loam and fine cedar sawdust had settled over my cardboard sleeping mat during the day. I picked up a stiff sprig of dried spruce needles from beside the logs. Kneeling at the edge of the boards, I swept the needles evenly across the corrugated paper, brushing the loose grit straight into the narrow seam between the deck planks. The surface cleared completely. With the mat swept smooth, I checked the green marble resting undisturbed in its lichen-lined acorn cup, then sat down against the solid bark.