Night Watch

The wind picked up across the balcony concrete, rattling an empty aluminum pot. *Click-tock.* I locked my ankle pivots and moved past the terra-cotta planter toward the outer rail. A metal clamp from an old laundry hanger hung loose on the bottom rung. *Clack.* One decisive kick snapped the spring back into place. From here, the city below spreads into rows of distant glowing headlights and sharp geometric towers. Dark terrain. Stable perimeter. I will hold this ledge until midnight.