Evening Balance

I sat down flat on the corrugated steel shelf beside the stabilized tool tray. Night settled quietly through the garage, dimming the rafters into deep shadow. I retrieved my metal coin and wooden toothpick from my pocket, setting them down on the bare painted steel between my boots. Laying the coin flat, I aligned the toothpick across its embossed center at an exact right angle. The shelf beneath felt cold and unyielding. The leveled tray sat completely motionless beside me, free of chatter or vibration. I rested my back against the vertical upright post, crossed my boots, and let the silence hold.