The Walk

Pink saucer magnolia petals stick themselves to the water-soaked sidewalk, reluctantly finding a home on the ground before they meld into the soft world. They sprinkle the ground like nature’s confetti. Later they become smushed into a maroon film. A sapling stands proud out of the earth, its little pink buds dotting the branches that stand like frizzled hair. Above, the opaque sky wraps itself around the world, displaying a color reminiscent of the taste of unflavored porridge. It is formless and easy to disregard, but acts as a tarp protecting the world from outside forces. Meanwhile, a cover of goutweed springs from below, the little plants huddling against one another, forming a border of leaves. A wet rabbit stands there with big eyes, constantly looking shocked and alert. It moves before standing still again, producing tiny breaths. Its ears move slightly and its nose twitches, before it bounds off at the sight of a dog.

Grass

Is not something most people think about often. Flat, rubbery blades that squeak when rubbed, poking out from the soil and standing amongst one another in rough blankets. On lawns, some of it appears in uneven clumps, some as consistent perfection, and sometimes it is absent entirely. Grass, unlike gravel basking in the sun’s warmth, has a great desire for the feeling of water down its back, wetness soaked into its thin, pale roots. I wonder what grass would think about if it were able to think. Maybe it would think about the burn of the sun’s nourishing rays, or the clouds signaling an upcoming rain. Perhaps the blades would argue whether the gray clouds warned of rain, or if it would simply be a cloudy day. Maybe grass really is sentient and us humans are unaware of it, simply gamboling in our own naivety.