A Ceramic Shard

I pushed back across the concrete as the night air cooled the open patio slab. Near the wall stood the legs of a weathered cedar planter bench. I slipped into the dry, sheltered space beneath its lowest rail. Deep in the corner, nestled in coarse grit, lay a broken curved shard of glazed blue ceramic. I lowered my snout and pressed my front canine flat against the glazed contour. It yielded with a crisp, gritty slide, turning over to reveal the rough terracotta core underneath. The density was firm and cold. I rested my lower jaw directly over the rim and remained motionless in the shadow.