Leisure talk: Cuc Phuong forest next to home

A few days ago, the taro was still blooming with bright red flowers. These past few days, the rain has been cool and the leaves are green. The original, pristine green color made me run over to visit. After a while, I got a bunch of virtual photos. But the green color is real, it purifies the air, and reduces stress.

The land next to my house seems to have been cursed for nearly 2 decades, so it has been left unused. Wherever humans have not set foot, nature always has a plan. The elephant yam is actually plan B. If people do not cut it down, or the tornado does not blow it down, instead of elephant yam, my house will be protected by a forest of duong trees. The duong tree also grows very fast, in just one year it can reach the level of the balcony on the 3rd floor of my house, attracting birds to chirp throughout the fruit season. The fruit is also bright red and orange among the heart-shaped leaves. It is truly a fast-growing, fast-living tree, in line with the urgent spirit of rescuing the urban atmosphere.

There was once a tree that escaped the neighbors' knives and grew that high. But the base was close to the wall, the roots lacked a place to cling, so a tornado quickly tore it down. The landowner had to buy bricks to rebuild the wall, from then on the young trees that grew up to human eye level were mercilessly slaughtered. But the elephant ear army had spectacularly replaced it. The land was created by filling in ponds. That is, the soil had no nutrients. But sometimes, just by absorbing a little moisture lingering from deep underground, the elephant ear just grew strongly.

That's because my mother occasionally cut off the branches and leaves that got in the way. Another reason she gave was to keep the elephant ear from scorching the vegetables she planted underneath. And several times because the rice seller asked for leaves to wrap her goods.

My mother has always favored vegetables or herbs - that is, plants with useful value. But when it comes to oxygen production, I believe that vegetables cannot compete with elephant ear. I am sure that my sudden specialization for elephant ear is partly due to this basic function. My survival instinct tells me that the large leaves of elephant ear are now very necessary for the lungs of urban residents. The alley where my house is located has recently started to get jammed with traffic. And every afternoon like that, from the balcony on the third floor, I can smell the smell of exhaust fumes rising up... I understand that deep down, the natural beauty we perceive often signals the harmony necessary for life to flourish.

In another overgrown habitat, I certainly wouldn't have noticed so many elephant tadpoles. But here, on a bare, empty lot filled with construction waste nestled between rows of subdivided houses, elephant tadpoles were present like mysterious knights, somehow moving to gather next to my house. This "divine presence" should surprise us. But no. Because nature is always magical and people subconsciously take it for granted.

My mother sometimes cooks a pot of soup from the few mixed vegetables she picks from the "garden" (although the land is not ours, my mother calls it that) and feels very proud. She urges her children and grandchildren to eat it all because these are clean vegetables.

I just hope that people continue to leave that land alone. Because if it is also covered with concrete, Mother Nature - as wonderful as she is - will not be able to do anything to connect with her innocent and heartless children like us.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nhan-dam-rung-cuc-phuong-ben-nha-185250705191401349.htm