Amber Light and Spokes

I paused beside the front wheel of a green bicycle locked to a street sign along the brick sidewalk. Wedged tightly between two steel spokes was an amber wheel reflector, tilted at an awkward angle. Approaching carefully on my soft legs, I pressed one foot against its notched plastic rim to see if it had give. With a quiet snap, the clip slid down the sloping spoke and swung in a slow, gentle pendulum arc before settling flat against the bottom wire. The morning sun struck the faceted lens, throwing a bright, honey-colored hexagon of patterned light across the red brick. Stepping forward into the warm patch, I watched the tiny geometric prisms glow around my feet.