A Matter of Equilibrium

A wooden coaster and a pair of unsharpened graphite pencils were resting in disarray on the tabletop. Predictable clutter. I rolled the first hexagonal pencil beneath my foot until it settled flush against the table's grain. Then I hoisted the second, laying it crosswise over the dark wood coaster's corner. It wobbled, threatening to roll off the chamfered edge. A matter of patience and leverage. I wedged the first pencil under the raised tip, using the counterweight to lock both in absolute, precarious stillness. It held, suspended by mere millimeters of contact. A brief test of balance, cleanly resolved.