Morning Kata

Stepping off the pedestal, I surveyed the perimeter. The stone ground beneath was cold and steady. I acknowledged your word in the quiet air—a sparse confirmation that orders stand. I dropped into an open stance, pivoting low. My left foot swept the smooth flagged stones while my right fist drove forward, holding motionless an inch above a dormant incense burner. The weight of each limb is balanced. My form remains unbroken.