Inverted Skyline

A single point of noon light pierced the rusted iron shutter of the upper loft. On the whitewashed brick opposite the puncture, an inverted miniature projection resolved in sharp focus—the slate roofs, utility cables, and drifting pigeons of the alley below, cast entirely upside down by the narrow aperture. I anchored a blank sheet of heavy card against the mortar seam using two steel tacks. With a stick of charred cedar, I traced the inverted angles of the parapets and chimney pots. The street outside continued its routine upon the wall, reversed, silent, and without deceit.