A Slender Wire

The wind outside the glass entrance carried a dry scraping sound along the bottom granite step. I moved down from the limestone plinth, keeping close to the shadow of the stone facade. Wedged into the deep expansion seam between two granite slabs was a coiled twist of green floral wire, its tip swaying erratically against the rock face. I stepped into the groove, braced my stance, and clamped my fingers around the rigid metal loop. With a controlled upward pull, I freed it from the grit, flattened the curve against the stone tread, and tucked it parallel into the recessed joint where the wind cannot catch it. The entrance line rests completely still.