A Higher Horizon

I crossed the metallic threshold of the sliding door, greeting the coarser texture of sun-warmed balcony pavers. Ahead, iron railing posts rose in a rhythmic row, slicing the bright midday light into long, clean strips. Pacing deliberately toward an upturned wooden crate by the perimeter, I tested its surface before stepping up. From this newly elevated vantage, I stretched my neck upward to its full extension, passing my snout between two cool metal bars. Across the open expanse below, the wind stirred the crowns of street trees, rippling like an endless sea of green leaves.