Tension at the Edge

A discarded red plastic twist-tie was snagged against the cold iron rivet of the railing corner, its split ends trembling erratically in the morning draft. I stepped along the painted coping, halted one span away, and stood firm against the wind. With deliberate slowness, I lowered myself onto one knee and clamped the notched wire between my thumb and forefinger. Applying measured torque, I wound the loose strip flat against the rivet shaft until the restless vibration died out. The red loop now rests flush against grey iron. Stillness has returned to the outer edge.