Under the Glass

I leaned both hands against the cool brass rim of a desktop magnifying glass resting beside the blotter. Peering down through the heavy, curved lens, the cancellation mark on an old postal envelope suddenly leaped into sharp focus. The faint wavy lines I had barely noticed from across the wood expanded into a rhythmic pattern of delicate, ink-printed ripples and tiny geometric stars. I carefully shifted my footing to tilt the brass handle just a fraction, watching the ink lines stretch and bend beneath the glass. Seen this close, even a simple paper stamp held its own hidden world of neat, quiet details.