Sunshine in the schoolyard

This morning, the sun shone again on the schoolyard.

Every morning, stepping through the gate, I feel like I'm entering a vibrant painting, where the sun is the silent artist, adding its delicate hues to the familiar scenery. I love the sun, I love how it casts its golden light on the red bricks, filters through the green leaves of the banyan tree, and I love the feeling of its caress on my skin each morning. The sun has never made me feel alone, even when I just stand silently watching without saying a word. Perhaps the sun also hears the whispers I make to myself?

The sun this season isn't too harsh, nor is it as weak as in late winter. It's just enough to dry hair still damp with dew, to warm hands still cold from the early morning breeze. During recess, the sun bathes the schoolyard, illuminating the bustling footsteps. It dances on the white áo dài (traditional Vietnamese dress), sparkling like golden dust of youth. Then, the sun quietly leans on the bicycle in the corner of the yard, listening to the buzzing of cicadas and the dreams of youth. And under that golden morning sun, we excitedly talk about our dreams, about the future ahead. None of us want to get tanned, yet we can't bear to leave behind these days with such gentle sunshine.

Sunlight is not just light, but also a warm memory of a bygone era. In the afternoons after school, sunlight filtered through the trees, illuminating enthusiastic faces and bright smiles in the windy schoolyard. Sunlight also gently and silently dried the innocent tears of school days, and then, as the sun set, all that remained was a warm memory lingering in our hearts.

Once, I heard my friend sigh, "With sunshine like this, someone's bound to fall in love!" Yes, it's true, with sunshine like this, it would be strange not to fall in love. How could one not fall in love when the sun bathes the courtyard, drying even unfinished dreams? How could one not fall in love when the sunlight touches someone's smile, causing one's heart to skip a beat, a wistful feeling of first love? People say that everyone's youth has a sky to remember, and sunshine is what makes that memory more radiant, like a mirror reflecting those beautiful days.

On a beautiful sunny afternoon, my friends and I leaned against the second-floor railing, gazing out at the schoolyard. We were all silent, but deep down we understood that one day, we wouldn't be standing here anymore, wouldn't be feeling this gentle sunshine. But we weren't sad, because we had lived these years to the fullest – years filled with sunshine, friendship, and the brightest dreams. And as long as I still love the sun, as long as I still carry that radiance in my heart, wherever I go, I will always carry a part of my youth with me.

Sixteen was as beautiful as a sunny morning. You and I were like blossoming flowers, eager to reach for the light, yet apprehensive of life's strong winds. We had grand dreams, aspirations as radiant as the sun. But sometimes, amidst those bright days, I felt a vague fear stirring within me. A fear that one day, the sun would fade. A fear that these years would become a distant memory, remaining only in diary entries and old photographs.

One day, when I truly have to leave the school grounds, I will miss the sunshine so much. I will miss the warm sunshine of the early days of the year, the long streaks of sunlight on the school corridors, and even the bright sunlight on people's clothes when school ends. And I will wonder, will the sunshine miss me?

Perhaps the sun will never remember. It will remain, still casting its golden light on the schoolyard, still shimmering in the hair of the students in the years to come. Only I will be the one reminiscing about the sunbeams of a youth that will never return.

But I believe that, even when we grow up and go our separate ways, on a beautiful sunny day, we will remember each other, remember those passionate years of youth under this sky. The sun will still be there, still shining on the long corridors, still lingering on our white shirts, still lying silently on the steps where we once sat. And I will always love the sun, as I love the most beautiful days of my life. No matter where life takes me, no matter how much time passes, I will always remember the rays of sunshine of my sixteenth year – radiant, pure, and full of dreams.

Source: http://baolamdong.vn/van-hoa-nghe-thuat/202502/nang-san-truong-3a44a5c/