Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Non-Fiction 2020complete | Page 78

Bustling, booming and buzzing with crazed liveliness,
Full of concrete, colossal and massive skyscrapers that kissed the beryl blue skies.
Ringing laughter, merriment and cheers of the joyous people that could be heard from miles away,
The whirr and the whoosh of the high speed gigantic rail that encircled the city,
Peering over the endless grey, grisly snakes that formed the bottom,
With rushing vehicles, cheerful crawling bugs, caking the top.
The sound of the mellifluent chorus of the harmonious, twittering birds blessed my ears,
Mixed with the occasional cacophony cries of traffic as if the city killed its engine,
breathing its power back to life in the frosty, winter morning.
An auburn gaze of the blazing sun met my spangled eyes,
Reminding me of the nostalgic sun back home.
My companion pointed to the vacant beach,
Roaring waves crashed down upon the golden shores,
Sizzling as the whitecaps were yanked back, only to crawl gently back to the coast.
Zooming trams whizzed past the area every now and then,
I found myself smiling at a kid sitting by the window,
Watching the cityscape race towards the horizon,
His eyes the size of dinner plates as he laid his head against a pillow.
The wind gently caressed my cheek,
A simple reassurance of confidence.
My friend, Ronald, held a cuppa’ Cappuccino in one hand,
Hefty work files in the other,
The pungent smell of the last wisps of fog lifting filled my nose,
As I took a deep breath of the unfamiliar, stunning yet ambitious nature of the place.
My small, remote, minuscule gem of a town,
Now a miniature kite in the massive skies,
It had built my roots, taught me the most important things in life.
But now, it was time to plant a new seed.
Fulfill my dream of being a banker, I must indeed.
My fellow childhood pal pointed at Yang’s Dumplings,
And before I knew it,
Fiery, boiling, savory juice trickled down my chin as I munched bits of shrimp in my mouth.
How could something be so delicious, mouthwatering and appetizing at the same time?
The familiar taste of foreign filled the ends of my mouth.
Never had I ever eaten outside before,
Always rice and vegetables my mom cooked from the store.
He chittered, chattered some more,
Ordering a taxi through an app on his smartphone,
Leaving my mind, utterly blown.
He pointed to the lighted sign which read:
“Welcome to the Pearl River Delta, the Greater Bay Area, a true, imperial megalopolis,
Soon to be home to you and millions of others.
A whole new world, a place even exploring with a magic carpet,
wouldn’t capture all the splendors it has to offer.
A luxurious combination of nine bustling cities,
Two signature regions,
Hong Kong, Macau, Guangzhou,
Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan,