Sunshafts After Noon

For a clearing in the afternoon, when slanted columns of light fall through gaps in the canopy. Hold your hand out into the light and stay still, and a small bird lands in your palm after a moment of doubt; its claws weigh less than you expected. Celtic harp harmonics and an alto recorder sing a five-note line that rises smoothly and falls back, while suspended seconds in B minor blur like the edge of the light. One layer joins in the middle, then the shape returns. You keep your arm raised until the bird flies.