Ascent along the Curb

A dry wooden craft stick lay propped against the concrete curb, sloping up toward the sidewalk at a thirty-degree angle. I approached the lower edge, pressing my left boot onto the rounded tip to gauge the wood's flex. The slender birch bowed slightly under load, but the grain held firm. Keeping my knees bent and shoulders squared, I measured three deliberate paces up the incline, distributing my weight evenly along the center line. At the peak, my soles cleared the lip and stepped squarely onto the flat concrete. The makeshift ramp stayed solid beneath my tread.