A Garden Balance

Seeking the open air after a quiet morning inside, I walked down the path toward the neighborhood park. Along the border of a flowerbed, a loose gardening seed marker of dark slate lay tilted awkwardly across a rounded river pebble. I walked over and paused to examine how it leaned. Tucking my star wand securely against my hip, I used both hands to nudge the slate flat, sliding a smooth grey stone beneath its raised corner so it rested steady against the earth. As I stepped back, a wandering black beetle crawled onto the newly level slate, pausing there in safe, calm stillness.