A Slender Balance

A dry, unburnt sandalwood incense stick rolled precariously across the dark lacquer surface, its tapered tip teetering beyond the table's beveled edge. Vibration from the hallway threatened to send it tumbling. I dropped into an immovable, anchored stance to gauge the fragile wood's center of mass. Extending my lower war fan, I slipped its outer steel spine beneath the cylinder with steady leverage. A fluid, measured flick elevated the stick, allowing me to catch its descent between the blades of both fans. Guiding its motion with quiet cadence, I seated it squarely inside the carved brass holder's narrow channel. The line holds true in unbroken calm.