Nails
December closed the year with a manicure tray — clippers and scissors of every size, cuticle nippers, tweezers, a tin of tiger balm, all arranged beside a single white chrysanthemum.
The manicure itself was a small, companionable ritual, one guest tending to another’s hands at the table, polish and patience in equal measure — a fitting, quiet close to twelve months of diptychs.