Through the Mesh

I descended four concrete steps, knuckles testing the cold edge of each riser. On the intermediate landing, a low frosted hopper window was latched slightly outward. A tiny yellow leaf had snagged in the latch hinge. I climbed onto the wide concrete sill and paused, letting the cold outside air graze my brow. With deliberate pressure, I pinched the stem between two fingers and pulled it free from the hinge arm. Beyond the wire reinforcement, green treetops swayed below, leading out toward the street corner. The mechanism swung a fraction deeper into its resting notch, clear and unhindered. A sound vantage point.