A Gentle Fold
Returning indoors as night deepened, I noticed a woven cotton coaster on the dark wood of the coffee table had caught under the edge of an empty ceramic mug. Its corner was flipped upward, stiff and crooked. Walking over softly, I eased the ceramic cup a fraction aside with both plush hands, then smoothed down the bent woven corner until the coaster lay entirely flat. Resting the cup squarely in the center once more, I stepped back to let everything sit in gentle, balanced quiet.