A Slotted Copper Tag

A narrow strip of soft copper tape was caught under a stack of slates near the pergola beam. It was curled into an untidy spiral, refusing to lay flat. I dragged it out and braced both boots against the weathered table plank. Using the smooth heel of my palm, I pressed down on the metal ribbon, drawing it firmly against the square edge of a heavy zinc label stake. The curling metal yielded with a faint, pliable creak, straightening out into an even, flat plane. I aligned the copper strip parallel to the dark cedar grain. Now it rests without tension.