Let me go home

The sun sets with its last glow penetrating through the clouds, and under the setting sun is the path that extends thousands of miles, losing itself in the depth of the forest. Rambling through the grassy bypath and with in hand a flower overflowing with odor, I let myself immerse in this nature of wonder, quietness and serenity. Lost wildly in though and inebriated with such heavenly tranquility, I enjoy this moment of no disturbance, distraction, nor discouragement. Life has been more than a cranky road of survival, marked by heckuva struggle, constant frustration and no less toil, tears and sweats. Years wrinkles the skin, yet lacking enthusiasm wrinkles the heart. The combined effect of mounting pressure, increasing responsibility, incessant difficulties and constant setback gradually takes away my confidence, strangling the last breath of my hope and dampening an already-devastated heart. Never a moment has I been exposed to such intensity of workloads, responsibilities and commitments. With the progressive ooze of the last glimmer of confidence, performance level falls to a record low level.

A whiff of breeze blows up, caressing my skin and the lake, rippled. The spring leaves are swirling up and down, in measure, and finally fell on the lake, ripples expanding in circles and then fading away. The fallen leaves, on the spot, disturb the quiet and calm lake, so they do me. Breeze keep wafting through and the creek, floating softly, my memories going back to childhood, to the days I still fondly recall in my dreams. Oh! How happy I was then! There was no sorrow, nor pain. Walking through the green fields in the prime time of spring, sunshine in my eye, gentle breeze rustling through the trees, stray birds singing and dancing on branches, sprouting buds ready to open and flowers in complete blossom- this picture of childhood life are always in my dreams, repeatedly evoking the eternal joy of life. The sight that we used to frolic around the lake constantly reoccurs to my mind, soothing a heart fraught with scar life left and meanwhile with a burning longing for escape. I have been in it, for too long, enmeshed in what is called a net. For survival’s sake, I, against my will and in the breach of my principle, accept a normally paid job in this rip-roaring city. Oftentimes, I feel distracted. I desperately crave for a moment of tranquility, but then, I am all the more desperate to find it out of the question. I close the window, in the hope of not letting the noise in, in a way of keeping distraction far away, yet to no avail.
Misty rain has been the major weather status over the last few weeks, the whole environment pervaded with subtle feelings, so much so that there seems sorrow in the wind and dismal in the grass. On a melancholy night, thoughts took me back to the remote good old days I spent in my birthplace, where, in spring, the best time of the year, fields turn verdurous and multicolored and waterways chatters through all the way.

This is the city with its name Sanshui, located northwest of Guangzhou, a delicate place where the three tributes of Pearl River converge, forming a spectacular view and therefore abundant in waterways of all sorts. It is a heavenly place of congenial sights and well-being. It is where I belong and which I miss in my dreams and from the bottom any time and anywhere.

Spring is a season of life as well as hope. At this time of the year in Sanshui, it must be presenting a natural wonder as delectable as that in any world-famed tourism spots. With that in mind, I cannot resist the temptation of paying a trip home, once and for all, to experience the beauty and grandeur of springtime that have been obsessing me to no end. It was utterly stunning! The air and the earth interpenetrated in the moist gusts of spring; the soil was full of moisture, and the moisture full of aroma. The air one breathed was saturated with earthy smells, and the grass under foot had a reflection of blue sky in it. In a delightful mood, I headed for Lake YunDongHai, my usual haunt, where blue water, crystal clear, flows in light rhythm and nearby which orchards and meadows were carpeted with patches of flowers clustering, squeezing and blossoming for beauty. Butterflies flitted around, keeping low to the ground. The lake expanded thousands of acres, utterly capped in the wilderness of misty rain. I took a look at the misty beauty, hearing the grass growing beneath feet and dues dropping softly. I took a deep breath, to inhale the scent of flowers mixed with earthy smells, and reached out my arms, to embrace the magic and hope of spring. A solitary moment by the lake composed my winkled heart. This is the reason why I used to be here at times of melancholy. And for your information, I should say it was supposed to make your day if you hang out with your love sauntering on the bank and enjoying the view.

For job’s sake, I returned to Guangzhou. But I would always have, in my heart, a place for my birthplace, the picturesque, beautiful city. I might be a dust in the air, floating everywhere with the wind and dampened to somewhere in the middle of nowhere with the rain. I could be anywhere, but Sanshui, my birthplace that I love, will always be in that particular place I spare.