Original Essay/Rhapsody: "Dream of Sniffing the Fresh Fragrance of Nature"
A fresh green, so easily captured my gaze, the forest was dense, and all I could see when I looked up was a ray of sunlight piercing through the trees, a warmth like a long-lost reunion after a hundred years. When I lowered my head, the blossoming flowers covered the forest, a blend of delicate and vibrant hues. I inhaled the authentic and clean fragrance of the earth, excitedly facing the flowers, and I leaped forward. Sadly, I woke up from my dream.
Having inhaled the habitually murky air, there wasn't the freshness of a mountain stream. From then on, the grey concrete ground filled my vision. Living in the city, with comfortable living conditions, came at the cost of lost primal, simple days.
Even in the flowerbeds, meticulously arranged dwarf shrubs stood in neat rows, their branches trimmed by gardeners so flat they resembled sheets of paper. Looking out, it was merely a line of grey-green squares. It could only appear beautiful if arranged in such order. Humans have long since lost the natural environment they yearn for, yet they don't notice the graceful, untamed beauty of the plants.
That row of trees planted by humans for oxygen blocked the smoke from passing cars and noise. They could only be seen in the full glory after a thorough rain. And the river, it was the same river, perhaps centuries, perhaps millennia ago, it was flowing like this.
The difference is that the friends on both sides of the river had long since decayed, undergoing constant changes. It could only flow quietly year after year, and one day it dried up, expressionless, under the assault of pollution. We can't see the shallows covered with grass, the charming wildflowers, or the serene view of south mountain.
Because of the birdsong and blossoming flowers, the chirping swallows were awakened by the rise of the towering buildings and the brilliant, rapid development of humankind, obscuring the original ecosystem. I am a child of nature, but I have altered the natural world. Love for nature flows in our blood, but it diminishes with each generation, and now, it is stronger than ever before, not just a human call, but an ancient summons.
In a scattering of starlight, I closed my drowsy eyes, seeking refuge from the noise, and fell onto the flowerbed. Silently, I recalled the fragrant and fleeting years, inhaling the scent of natural, fresh flowers.
