The 3rd week
A slight drizzle, a car parked along the road shoulder and initiating our way through the willowing and the soft movements of the overgrown grasses, tall and haphazzardly littered all over the hill, we made our way up hiking on the softened mud, a collage of yellowish colours and avoiding the overgrown and protruding dense foliage. It was an experience all by it self, but the instead of being gay and having fun, the feeling was actually solemn as we were making it back to mum's grave for the 3rd week, a rites that we as Chinese practice.
It has been 3 weeks since that turning point in my life and we are again visiting mum's grave to do some prayers and to check on the cleaning and planting of the grasses on the freshly covered pit. The tombstone looks clean and distinctly different from the surrounding faded, lichen filled and neglected tombstones creating a stark contrast to mum and dad's grave. It stands out against in backdrop of old and ill maintained other plots. Some had cracks and broken headstones, with creeping weed and tree branches sticking out of the plot, giving it a errie and surreal atmostphere.
We went about our prayers, lighting up incense and burning paper money. The gravestone with mom and dad's pics were serene and beautiful, the smoke from the incense creating an ambience of peace. I almost forgot how dad and mum used to be when they were together, dad would be the quieter one and most of the time patient with us, never lifting a finger nor raised his voice whenever we were overboard or naughty. In contrast and exact opposite, mum is different, having to chase after us kids and scowl at us when we are uncontrollable. It reminds me that although their marriage was arranged and life had been difficult, the least was that they were happy and satisfied with having a bunch of silly kids and having enough food on the table.
Time really flies and that was a long long time ago, and now it's only a tablet with a photo to remind us of them. But I reckon they must be at peace now since whatever things that they had set out to do has been completed and they are now together again after a lull of more than a quarter of a century. I can distinctly see mum and dad smiling.
It has been 3 weeks since that turning point in my life and we are again visiting mum's grave to do some prayers and to check on the cleaning and planting of the grasses on the freshly covered pit. The tombstone looks clean and distinctly different from the surrounding faded, lichen filled and neglected tombstones creating a stark contrast to mum and dad's grave. It stands out against in backdrop of old and ill maintained other plots. Some had cracks and broken headstones, with creeping weed and tree branches sticking out of the plot, giving it a errie and surreal atmostphere.
We went about our prayers, lighting up incense and burning paper money. The gravestone with mom and dad's pics were serene and beautiful, the smoke from the incense creating an ambience of peace. I almost forgot how dad and mum used to be when they were together, dad would be the quieter one and most of the time patient with us, never lifting a finger nor raised his voice whenever we were overboard or naughty. In contrast and exact opposite, mum is different, having to chase after us kids and scowl at us when we are uncontrollable. It reminds me that although their marriage was arranged and life had been difficult, the least was that they were happy and satisfied with having a bunch of silly kids and having enough food on the table.
Time really flies and that was a long long time ago, and now it's only a tablet with a photo to remind us of them. But I reckon they must be at peace now since whatever things that they had set out to do has been completed and they are now together again after a lull of more than a quarter of a century. I can distinctly see mum and dad smiling.
posted by mercuri2000 at
10:58 AM
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