Essays

At the Back of the Backyard

 

              When I was little, my house was located in a New York suburb, and it had a backyard that was a great place for me to play in.  The half of the garden that was further from the house was elevated compared to the closer half, and there was a wide hill with a small staircase in the middle that connected the two levels.  Wild green leaves covered the hill, while the flat parts were carpeted by grass.  My friends and I played tag in this backyard and ran all over the garden like mice, scurrying up the small staircase and leaping down the hill.  Sometimes my family would invite people over for a barbecue in the backyard.  We would set up outdoor tables and chairs, and the delicious smell of barbecued corn and meat would flow around.  However, the place I loved most in the backyard was the “secret spot” my friend and I discovered at the back, upper left-corner, which was separated from the rest of the garden by some trees.  We entered from the higher part of the garden and hung our coats on a tall tree with short branches.  There was a tree stump for us to sit on and some flat rocks that led further into the place until it reached a dead end.  My friend and I drew pictures on the ground by using sticks, and I sometimes created my own stories in the private, peaceful place.  It was shady and cool in the “secret spot,” and I enjoyed being surrounded by the trees that rustles their leaves like maracas when a breeze came by, the squirrels that moved hurriedly along the branches and the pleasant yet mysterious atmosphere that always kept my anxious.  The “secret spot” was very important to me because it stimulated my creativity, brought me closer to my friend, and made me feel the peacefulness of nature.  Sadly, there aren’t many pictures left of the backyard and none of the “secret spot,” since the garden had been so much a part of my everyday life that it didn’t occur to me to take a picture of it.  I don’t know if I can ever go back to the special garden in New York again, but I can be sure that the garden I loved with all my heart will never fade away in my memory.

Back

Copyright ©2020 Author Lemon All Rights Reserved.