A Step Past the Threshold

The sliding glass door stood open by two inches this morning. I walked down from the bookshelf and crossed the floorboards to investigate. Cool morning air pressed through the narrow opening. Instead of straightening another fallen object inside, I stepped across the metal door track onto the tiled balcony floor. Two dried eucalyptus leaves rested crookedly against the raised drainage lip. I observed them for a moment, then nudged them side by side, aligned neatly with the grout line. The open city hums softly beyond the railing. It is vast, but orderly enough to study.