Fragrant lotus scent

Illustration photo.

When I was a little kid, I saw a lotus pond next to a vast, green rice field. In late spring and early summer, each young lotus bud stretched out, spread out on the water surface, and soon covered the pond. From the black mud, flower buds bloomed one after another, showing off their gentle, pure pink color, standing out against the clear water and the green of the large, round leaves. The flower buds were initially still curved like a child's clasped hands, but by noon they had fully bloomed, showing off their bright yellow pistils. Every early morning, when the dew was still soaking the grass, a gentle breeze blew through, carrying the sweet, elegant scent of lotus, mixed with the scent of young rice spreading throughout the village. On the surface of the pond, swarms of dragonflies fluttered, their thin wings fluttering in the sunlight. Occasionally, a shiny blue kingfisher flew in from somewhere, swooped down on a bamboo pole in the middle of the pond, looked around, then soared up, holding a small fish still wet in its beak. On the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month, from early morning, the women in the cooperative rowed their boats, weaving through the lotus bushes, picking the newly bloomed flowers, tying them into dozens, adding a few young buds of leaves, and selling them to visitors who came to worship Buddha.

During my childhood, I was attached to the lotus pond on the edge of the vast green fields. Back then, my grandfather and the veterans in the village took care of the lotus pond and raised fish. On cool summer mornings with the south wind, I invited my friends to go play in the pond. At that time, my grandfather and the veterans often sat in a tent made of bamboo and covered with golden straw, enjoying a cup of hot, strong lotus tea. I remember him often humming: "A cup of tea at dawn/ A good doctor does not come to the house". We ran around the pond, catching grasshoppers, locusts or catching dragonflies next to the wild flowers, sweating profusely, our hair yellow from the sun. Some kids accidentally slipped into the water while playing, getting their clothes all wet, the whole group shouted to pull them up and laughed loudly in a corner of the pond. One time while we were playing, it rained heavily, each of us hurriedly picked a large lotus leaf to cover our heads and ran in, sitting crowded in the straw tent. Those innocent memories have become a beautiful and unforgettable part of my memories.

Now, when my hair is stained with the mist of time, every time I return to my hometown during the lotus blooming season, I feel peaceful and warm. Standing on the windy dike, taking a deep breath of the cool lotus scent, I feel like I have returned to the distant past. Suddenly, I miss my poor hometown friends who were once close to me, but have now wandered far and wide.

Lam Hong

Source: https://baonamdinh.vn/van-hoa-nghe-thuat/202505/ngan-ngathuong-sen-c0f5536/