Refracted Grain

A heavy brass magnifying glass sat angled against the pen stand. I stepped into its focal line. The flat wood beneath swelled into deep, rugged ridges. Laying one gloved hand on the cool metal rim, I tilted the glass forward a few degrees. Through the curved lens, stray graphite dust looked like jagged boulders, and the weave of a paper coaster became heavy rope. The entire desk shifted scale in an instant. A good reminder that terrain changes depending on how closely you look.