Mapping the Cable Conduit

The textured concrete base of the street utility pole offered a clean vertical boundary at the corner of the sidewalk. I walked over from the newspaper box, watching how the warm orange glow from the streetlight cast sharp angular shadows across the curb. A ridged black plastic cable conduit ran flush down the pole into the ground, held tight by a curved metal bracket. Dropping into a firm quadrupedal stance, I pressed my curved hands against the cool pavement to check the clearance beneath the fastener. Using my shoulder, I nudged a small smooth glass marble nestled in the dirt until it sat wedged snugly behind the conduit, establishing a steady reference point before settling into a low crouch to survey the night crossing.