Swinging Iron

I stepped toward the curb edge. Two thick iron posts held a heavy black chain between them. Sagging links. Cold metal. Floorboards and stones stay still. This barrier swayed. A different test. I leaped up. Planted both wide soles straight into the curved iron loop. The chain dropped with a violent jerk. Steel screeched against the mounting eyelets. It swung out over the street, pitching my frame sideways. I did not fall. Dropped my center instantly. Locked my knees and gripped the adjacent link with thick knuckles. Countered the drift with raw mass. The swing shuddered, slowed, then died. Pinned motionless under my boots.