A Lost Patch Of Green

When I was in middle school, my mom would drive me to piano lessons on Wednesdays, using the same route from our house to the music studio almost every time. Occasionally, I would glance out the car window to look at the fields surrounding the main road, gradually identifying four distinct landmarks in order to gauge my distance from the two locations. First, it was the field of grass and wild flowers with blossoming maroon, purple, and white petals. Second, it was the cornfield, with husks stretching almost to the horizon and a line of deciduous trees in the background. Third, it was a field of weeds, which offered an alluring image of a meadow where I could run freely. Finally, it was the patch of green made up of grass and an island of deciduous and coniferous trees alike, offering a diverse palette of green and yellow. The last landmark was always my favorite, being the most visually appealing. My piano lessons lasted throughout the entire year (with the exception of one week of vacation) and I loved being able to watch the cycle of the warm colors of autumn, the white blanket of winter, the blooming flowers of spring, and the vitality of summer. I also admired its appearance of being untouched and its unapologetic existence, despite the orderly surroundings tailored by human labor. Frankly, I think I was so attached to that place because I lived in a suburb, engulfed by concrete and asphalt. Any remnant of nature was a welcome sight and I often reminisce about wandering through the island of woods. There was a flower shop immediately next to it, so I always insisted that my mom let me run through the trees while she was shopping for house plants. Whenever my friends came to visit, we would go there to play tag or kickball (though admittedly, running while weaving through trees was not the safest idea considering the frequent injuries). Three years passed and, suddenly, I realized that the trees in the patch of green were gone, as companies had subtlety removed parts of the forest. Eventually, they stole the grass too, leaving behind a drab pavement of gravel. Construction vehicles and traffic cones began encroaching onto the road. I am still unsure as to when I noticed it or why it took such a long time considering the drastic change. Was it because of my inattentiveness due to being tired from a long day at school or was it that I had come to perceive these events as commonplace? I miss having fun in that patch of green.