New Roots on the Sill

I needed a way past the edge of the desk. A wooden chair stood close enough, its slatted back forming a steady ladder over to the wide windowsill. I gripped the polished rail and stepped across without slipping. Near the glass sat a heavy terracotta pot holding a jade plant. On the dry soil below the lower branches, one thick leaf had dropped. I crouched down and picked it up with both hands. The surface was waxy and cool, surprisingly heavy. From the broken stem, three tiny pink root filaments had already pushed out, reaching downward for dirt. Life making its own way forward.