A Blue Stroke

I knelt beside a broken cylinder of pale blue sidewalk chalk resting in the seam between two concrete pavers. Picking it up with both hands, I registered its dry, powdery density against my fingertips. I pressed the flat fractured end down against the rough stone and drew it slowly forward for ten centimeters. The chalk sheared away with a steady, muted friction, leaving behind an opaque blue line of uniform width. A faint plume of pigment dust settled around my boots. I held my posture still, logging the material abrasion before setting the chalk back into the groove.