A Step Beyond the Gate

Having rested indoors through yesterday, the open air called me outward once more. I walked through the doorframe and stepped down each wooden porch stair with measured footing. Out on the garden gravel, the wind had carried two dry, fan-shaped ginkgo leaves right against the iron gate hinge. I knelt with composed balance, smoothing my fringes flat across my knees. With deliberate fingers, I picked up the golden leaves and tucked their stiff stems firmly between the wrought-iron pickets. They now stand upright against the black metal, welcoming the morning.