Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Non-Fiction 2020complete | Page 77

A Charming Persona, The Greater Bay Area
Shanghai Singapore International School, Panda, Anouska - 14
My numb feet staggered out of the swarming, chaotic and vigorous metro,
A bullet train they’d called it, roaring with such liveliness, I’d never known.
My eyes found themselves noticing every little detail guardedly.
From the chic white, polished walls of a sheer metro station,
To the baffling absence of shiny wrappers of Lays on the spotless floor,
To the heartbeat pulse of the crowd, shoving me in the shoulder every minute,
That emitted a certain vibrancy I’d never felt.
Back home, nothing ever had looked like this before,
With the scenic countryside to keep me company,
The peaceful silence that lingered while I reflected my thoughts,
The pleasant swish of waves colliding with one another while you wrote a poem,
The gush and swoosh of the moonlit waterfall as it pounded on the rocks and frothed at the bottom,
Taking a flavorful sniff of the rainwater aura that surrounded the roads when you needed some fresh air.
The tranquility seemed to be lost here, completely.
Something so ordinary, I missed so very deeply.
The apparitions of different, unfamiliar faces, ghosted past me,
As I gawked at them, curious as to who they were.
I’d never seen this many wonderers from across the globe, like bees in a bonnet they were.
Chills sprouted across my arms like beads on a friendship bracelet.
I ogled at the ornamental bags latched on to people’s forearms.
My body ached in unfamiliarity,
My mind throbbing with bewilderment,
Questioning if I’d made the right decision.
I found myself scrambling to see the outside,
To feel the sunlight on my pale skin when,
A familiar laugh formed on my muddled face,
The acquainted mention of my name and a hug,
Washed away the chaos and exhilaration for a minute.
The hug was nothing like I’d given my family before I left,
It lacked the feeling of warmth and love.
But here, right now, was the start of my new life.
I was reborn, with having success,
a bright fairy fluttering near the palms of my hands,
waiting to be captured and treasured.
My friend from home, dressed in a formal suit,
I eyed myself, with normal jeans and a worn-out shirt,
Consciousness gripped my blood, clinging on to it, not wanting to let go.
Within the wink of an eye,
I could see the place unfold gradually in front of me,
like a toddler opening a graphic book for the first time;
A place,