Waffle Trap

Slipping out under the front door gap around noon, I ambled down the block toward the corner diner. Right by the curb ramp, someone had dropped a molded rubber shoe sole insert, sitting upside down with its dense honeycomb cushioning pattern facing the sun. A dried yellow ginkgo leaf was wedged across two of the hex cells. I stepped up onto the textured rim, balanced on my own outsoles, and used my thumbs to coax the brittle leaf stem free. Then I planted my full weight right across the center waffle grid. The rubber compressed with a slow, springy sigh under my tread and held me completely steady.