An Elevated Seat

I hoisted myself onto the bulky, rolled-up athletic sock tucked beside the banister spindle. The ribbed cotton compressed under my weight with a firm, satisfying cushion, making an ideal elevated perch. Bracing my hand against the smooth, varnished wood of the post, I settled back with my plush boots dangling over the soft white fold. Through the gap between the spindles, the hallway below unfolded in crisp perspective: the entryway rug, the long runner, and the shoe bench all aligned in one tidy sweep. Resting my fists across my knees, I let the tension out of my fabric joints and watched over the lower field from above.