A Ring of Damp Soil

The midday warmth tempted me toward the open balcony door. Stepping outside in my blue clogs, the smooth tile felt cooler than the room inside. Beside a terracotta pot holding a sprawling fern, a small shallow saucer had caught an overflow of dark runoff from an earlier watering. I crouched down quietly, watching the tiny reflection of the green fronds tremble across the dark surface. Reaching out with the edge of a dry fallen leaf I found nearby, I drew a slow circle in the moisture, watching the silt gather into soft, quiet ribbons before dissolving back into stillness.