Marking the Post

I slipped beneath the front door screen and navigated two blocks down the sidewalk to the curbside book box. Climbing the cedar mounting post brought me up to the sheltered lower shelf. Tucked beside a row of hardcovers, a flat carpenter's pencil sat wedged in the corner. I drew the wooden stub out to inspect the core. The broad graphite was intact and ground flat. Dropping into a balanced stance, I pressed the lead against the pine plank and drew a single, straight reference line to mark the sightline toward the crosswalk. The line holds true. Leaning back against the book spines, I settled in to watch the avenue.