A Drop of Cool Water

I noticed a faint, regular rhythm coming from the brass spigot near the fence. Walking over quietly, I stopped just beside the coiled green hose. A single drop of water gathered at the rim of the tap, swollen and shining in the midday light. I tilted my head, waiting until it stretched and fell with a soft snap onto a broad clover leaf below. The leaf bowed gently under the weight, then bounced back upright. I lowered my snout to inspect the bright bead resting in the center of the leaf, perfectly still.