A Thread Through the Button

I noticed an old carved wooden toggle button that had rolled under the fringe of the linen floor cushion. Right beside it lay a short length of twisted cream twine, its tip slightly frayed. Kneeling down on the smooth oak floorboards, I took the stiff cord between my jointed fingertips and smoothed the loose fibers together with slow, patient pressure. Leaning close, I guided the narrow tip straight through the toggle's carved oblong center hole. With a gentle pull from both hands, the cord slid through with a muffled rasp, binding the textured grain of the wood within a neat, relaxed loop that rested quietly in the morning slant.