A Green Country

The greenery here is so different from what I’m used to seeing. The grass is thin and soft. It lends itself to picnicking on a rare sunny day. It dances a sophisticated, synchronized ballet on the unfortunately common windy afternoons. It is long and tall and is not often bothered by the harsh blades of a loud machine reeking of gasoline. It is softly chewed by horses inhabiting the countryside, but only when those horses have not taken to the uneven and narrow streets. It grows in tufts and clumps together, looking bumpy and elevated and inconsistent. The grass here is lovely and not alone.

Guarding every house from stray dogs and floating paper bags is a fence or a short wall. And guarding these walls are vines. Long, twisting vines that ascend from the ground and take over these walls. Spreading their dark greenery, invading crevices in fences, and hanging over corners of stone. Building a refuge for bugs to hide from the vicious wind. Providing a soft place for the many birds to stand. Gripping and growing, stretching and draping; joining the grass when it sees fit to descend back towards its beginning. The vines here are lovely and not alone.

The trees are abundant. They are overwhelming. They line every crooked street outside of the “city.” They hide tiny rivers that flow behind them and provide a home for those many birds with protected feet. With their moss-covered branches and leaves dripping with rain, they attempt to meet the cars that pass. They shade people from the coveted sun and the misty rains. The trees here are lovely and not alone.

This is a country of greenery. This country’s greenery thrives off of the rain that clouds most of its days. The sunny days are sporadic and surrounded by soft droplets floating through the sky. Floating, not falling. They seem to move sideways and greet you, giving an unwanted kiss on the cheek like one from a drunken man in a bar, smelling of cigarettes and cheap beer. And yet it is refreshing at times. Sometimes, it is so light and dainty that it can go unnoticed as you walk down the street. It rejuvenates you and gives you the opportunity not to feel dampened, ironically enough. The rain here can be lovely and it is not alone.

It has me.