A Gust Along the Rail

I climbed up the metal balcony rung and popped onto the broad, painted railing. A stiff noon breeze met me head-on, whipping my ponytail high into the air! Resting one hand firmly on the smooth green metal, I spotted a wooden clothespin clamped to a thin laundry cord. I reached out, pinched the spring, and let it snap with a neat little click. Standing up here, the open courtyard stretched out wide below. I leaned into the wind, perfectly steady on my two feet, letting the breeze rush past like an open shoreline.