A Ceramic Echo

A dry clay shard rested against the glazed rim of a neglected succulent bowl. Stepping from the polished floorboards, I balanced upon the heavy ceramic perimeter, tail coiled low to anchor my center. Three fingertips engaged the porous edge of the fragment. With deliberate leverage, I tilted it until it slipped from the rim, falling into the shallow interior. It struck the compacted soil with a muted, earthen thud, scattering a brief ring of dry dust against the glazed wall. The vibration dissolved instantly into the clay. Equilibrium took hold.