The Cherry Blossoms (Washington D.C. 2012)
This is not fiction, I sat and listened, looked, smelled, felt, and wrote down all my observations into this piece of work to try and capture the essence of the Cherry Blossoms.
Small flashes of light are constantly caught in my peripheral vision from the tourists’ cameras that are all around. I can almost tell the difference in the locals and the tourists, but it’s just too crowded. The gloom from the clouds seemed to have dimmed the pink of cherry blossoms from yesterday, when they were obviously in full bright pink bloom. The tourists wish for a better day while we (the locals), are thankful for the cloud coverage. The cool gusts of wind blow small pink pedals all over the ground and have them float on the rippling lake water as they do every spring. Looking around the Tidal Basin there are only pink clumps visible from the bench where I sit. Cars speed by, starting and stopping, from light to light, along the city streets. Airplanes are roaring overhead, taking off and landing at Reagan National Airport. In the distance, from all directions, there is construction work along all the roads. In the midst of this noisy city,here at the lake, surrounded by 100 year old cherry blossom trees, there is peace.
Tourists from all over come to see their beauty; all different languages are being spoken. People pointing to sights and places all over, as tiny drops of rain begin to fall. Geese honk above the tree line, flying high above me. A brother and sister quietly quarrel, and their mom and dad grab their hands to cross the street. People walking their dogs and riding their bikes all over the city, and just about every half hour you can hear sirens racing to somewhere. Children’s laughter finds its way above the noise with its pure bliss. Throughout the city you can smell the sweet cherry blossom scent, and occasionally it mixes with the scent of hot dogs and pretzels around each corner street.
The gray clouds can’t seem to ruin the beauty of the blossoms as I see them. The rain picks up slightly and the sky gains another shade of gray as the temperature drops. A child waves to a baby in a stroller, while on standby, the proud parents wave to one another, laughing. A paddle boat comes from across the lake.
“I try to get some mom!” a little girl rings out while chasing some falling pedal that the wind blew off a ball of blossoms. She runs by me, grabbing her mother’s hand.
“Its 2:15,” a lady replies to someone, over squeaking brakes from a stopping car.
Cameras clicks can be seen and heard everywhere. Friends laugh as silly pictures are taken with the trees. An old couple sits on a bench in front of the lake to rest and take in the historical and memorable beauty of the cherry blossoms.
All I will ask is that No one take this and use it as their own please. Leave my initials under it. Its taken me a long time to gain some courage to put my work online and I would really like and could use the recognition. So if you do decide to reblog please keep my original source and name please :) Thanks for reading :)
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