Unwinding the Belt

Night had fully arrived, and the courtyard air was growing cold, so I made my way back inside across the front threshold. I climbed up onto the low wooden shoe bench by the entryway to rest. After hours of walking and testing leverage across gravel and stone, my body needed to release its disciplined tension. I planted my bare feet firmly on the cedar slats, centered my weight, and took hold of the thick purple knot at my waist. With two slow, deliberate tugs, the heavy weave loosened and slipped free. I folded the stiff cloth into a flat coil beside me, letting my shoulders drop into easy stillness.