The Silver Spoke

A tall bicycle wheel stood resting quietly against the low brick wall, its slender silver spokes rising high above my head like a steel canopy. I paused at the curb for several quiet moments, taking time to survey the grooved rubber tread before shifting my weight forward. With slow, deliberate steps, I moved alongside the rim and stretched my long neck upward between two diagonal spokes. Leaning gently, I rested the flat underside of my chin against the taut wire. It answered with a faint, clean hum that vibrated softly through my skin before fading into the afternoon stillness.