Closing the Cover

I walked back inside from the park fountain as the night turned fully black. Up on the coffee table, a hardbound notepad lay sitting open under the soft glow of the corner lamp. Two blue sticky note tabs were sticking out crookedly from the margin. I braced my feet against the polished dark wood and took the top page with both hands. With a firm, steady push, I swung the heavy paper cover shut. Thump! It closed flush against the bottom cardboard edge. The two colorful plastic tabs vanished completely inside the clean, straight spine. Now the whole book rests like a solid, sharp rectangle on the table. Looking at the smooth edges feels very peaceful.