Tuning Key Perch

I scaled the nickel frets of the guitar neck, moving hand over hand along the smooth rosewood grain. At the top, the timber tapered into the angled headstock. Six steel tuning posts jutted outward like miniature mechanical perches. I vaulted onto the highest chrome peg, dropping into a tight crouch with both soles locked over the cold oval key. It held firm against my weight without slipping a gear. Suspended above the floor, the polished body and taut strings stretched below in dark, clean lines. Silence unbroken.