Clearing the Tread

I slipped back across the apartment threshold and sat on the polished edge of the entry step. Alley grit had compacted into the tread of my left boot during the afternoon scout. Traction is everything; a misjudged landing is sloppy work. Finding a clean wooden toothpick beside the key tray, I angled the tip into the rubber grooves and flicked the grey debris onto a scrap of paper. Two firm scrapes cleared the channel completely. Stance reset. My grip on the ground is solid again.