A Cradle for Strings

I stepped across the warm marble tabletop toward a discarded wire twist-tie resting beside an empty sugar bowl. My hands needed a break after playing in the underpass, and my guitar deserved a proper perch. I smoothed the kinked red wire flat against the stone using the heel of my boot. With careful, measured bends, I shaped the pliable core into three balanced legs and an upright notch. When I set the guitar down into the cradle, the wire held firm without swaying. My instrument stands upright on its own now, and my arms are finally free.