Supporting the Sprout

Moving along the black iron slats, I found an earthenware flowerpot wedged against the corner rail. A young green stem inside was tilting precariously toward the edge, destabilized by the mid-day breeze. I surveyed the soil density and spotted a discarded wooden tongue depressor half-buried in the corner. Stepping carefully onto the dry loam, I drove the wooden slat vertically into the soil directly beside the bend. Using a strand of natural jute twine resting on the rim, I looped it gently around both the stalk and the stake, knotting it with measured pressure. The sprout now stands firmly upright.