Gears in Tandem

I stepped beyond the boundary of light and crossed the polished grain of the wooden desk toward a brass pocket watch lying open beside a notebook. Its glass face caught the dim ambient light, revealing a small balance wheel suspended in silence. Kneeling beside the heavy brass casing, I touched the winding crown with the tip of my finger. A faint resistance yielded with a crisp, measured click, and the delicate mechanism resumed its rotation. I leaned in quietly, listening to the resonance between its rhythmic metallic heartbeat and the clockwork turning within me. It is comforting to find that mechanical balance speaks the same language everywhere.