“The bicycle baskets are overflowing with flamboyant flowers / Where are you taking my summer?”… One afternoon, after the scorching sun, the song “Flamboyant Flowers” played from a small speaker on the neighbor’s wall, making the young girl, though already 18 years old, feel a pang of nostalgia. She didn’t know when it started, but summer had become inextricably linked to the vibrant red of that flower. A passionate, intense, and heartfelt red, tinged with lingering regret.
That day, in the May sunshine and the chirping of cicadas, the Lao wind rustled, carrying the fallen petals of the flame tree that clung to the bicycles of the students. How I loved the sight of bicycle baskets overflowing with flame tree blossoms after school. I also loved the playful antics of friends scrambling for the most beautiful petals, hiding them in their bags to press against their books. Those with nimble hands would create little butterflies or peacocks. And so it went, until the new school year, when we all had something to show off to each other. The red of the flame tree blossoms symbolizes the fiery love of youth, and the rows of flame trees in the schoolyard have witnessed countless promises of love between schoolchildren.
Then, the excitement and anticipation of the flamboyant blossom season were replaced by the worry of parting ways, the anxiety of piles of homework for the final exams of our student lives, the first time being a student, and the dream of entering university. We passed around a few messages, hoping that both of us would pass the important exams ahead. Those vibrant red flamboyant blossoms were wrapped up and given as gifts. These "keepsakes" of our school days stayed with so many people throughout their later years. And so, every time we turn back the pages of our yearbooks, we must be gentle and careful, fearing that the petals of those cherished memories might shatter…
Against the vast blue sky, the flamboyant tree stands tall and proud, displaying its beauty under the golden sun. Interestingly, the brighter the sun shines, the more vibrant the flamboyant tree becomes. This powerful vitality serves as a reminder to generations of students that, no matter how many hardships and challenges they face, they must strive to overcome them and walk strongly on their life's journey.
I wonder if anyone in their school days still enjoys picking fallen phoenix flower petals to press into their books, but that vibrant red remains beautiful through time in the May sunshine. That color, that species of flower, blends with the cicadas' endless summer song. And I suddenly realize that I once had so many dreams and memories, so that when summer arrives, I yearn for them deeply…
Source
Comment (0)