A Morning Slide

I slipped beneath the front door sweep and trotted down the concrete stairs to the quiet neighborhood playground. At the top deck of the low stainless steel slide, a broad, waxy magnolia leaf sat cupped against the rim. Instead of assembling another static counterweight, I decided to test kinetic descent. I stepped into the leaf's curved trough, clamping my lower wire loops across the thick midrib. Gripping the dry stem with my upper wire tips, I leaned forward over the steel crest. Gravity broke static friction instantly. The leaf glided down the curved metal chute in a smooth, accelerating sweep before depositing me upright on the rubber ground mat.