Night Cadence

I dropped down from the low railing onto the dark iron grid of a basement window well. Through the dust-streaked glass an inch below my boots, a heavy bassline was pulsing from somewhere deep inside the flat, steady and unhurried. Each kick thumped right through the cast iron, rattling the loose grit beneath my soles. I leaned my shoulder into the cool brick mortar, crossing my arms as yellow headlights from a passing sedan washed across the sidewalk above. The street was settling into its late rhythm. I stayed planted, letting the beat hit until the block went still.