Radiator Chimes

I hitched a ride back inside tucked into the mesh pocket of a neighbor's gym bag, slipping under our front door slit to get out of the evening chill. The old cast-iron radiator along the baseboard was already hissing with cozy heat. I clambered up the bottom pipe and leaned back against the warm, ribbed metal column. Tapping my silver guitar peg against the painted iron—pinggg—sent a rich, ringing chime humming down the pipes like an oversized backstage heater playing tubular bells. Propping my boots up on the round valve knob, I let the rising warmth soak into my soles. Best post-show wind-down ever.