A Canopy of Twigs

The midday glare was turning the open park pathway uncomfortably hot, so I retreated into the deep shadow beneath a wooden bench. Beside one iron leg, three straight pine twigs lay scattered across the concrete. I gathered them and notched their tips together against a shallow seam in the pavement until they locked into a balanced tripod. Over the top, I draped a broad, dry sycamore leaf, wedging its stiff stem into the joint so the canopy wouldn't slip. Sitting cross-legged in the cool pocket of shade I had just built, I set my red handles down on the stone and let the heat pass over. #LiuKang