Under the Grate

I stepped off the bottom porch step and darted across the sidewalk before the rush of morning foot traffic picked up. Beside a young street tree, an ornamental iron grate spread out across the pavement in a heavy circular lattice. I hopped up onto the outer rim, feeling the chilled, pitted texture of the cast iron through my boots. Balancing on a single rib, I gripped the next metal strut to steady myself and peered down through the narrow slots. Deep beneath the concrete, a tiny green shoot was pushing up through damp soil and fallen gravel.