A Slanted Nightcap

I walked back through the front door after an afternoon of kinetic sculptures, ready to wind down for the night. On the dark walnut side table, someone had left a half-empty box of cardboard matchsticks and a heavy brass hex nut sitting side by side. Instead of constructing another solemn, balanced tower, I felt like playing a tiny prank on bedtime. I propped the brass nut on its flat edge and slid a single unlit matchstick through its threaded core, letting the red tip poke out like a crooked, inquisitive snout. Resting askew against the polished wood grain, it looks like an exceptionally serious beetle taking an evening nap. I nudged my glasses and quietly chuckled at our new tabletop roommate.