Happy Ever After
Last night when I lolled in the chair, reading Moment in Peking, one of my friends sent a message to me. She asked me if I would go back home to spend the coming Mid-Autumn Festival with my family. I told her that as my hometown was far away from the city I am in at the moment, I might not be able to have a reunion dinner with my parents.
In the aftermath of that, I began to think about the things that happened during
the past few years. I came to the realization that far back to years before I came to this city, I had been accustomed to spending the very festival alone. Then I started to think of my parents. They must have been endured the lonely and cold festival no less than I have.
I remember in my hometown, on the special reunion day, we not only have moon-cakes at night, but have self-made buns stuffed with meat and vegetables as well. My mother often said to my sister and me, when we called home from far away, it was a pity that we couldn’t taste the buns she took pains to make. My mouth was
always watering when hearing Mother say that.
I don’t know if it happens to others as well, but it seems to me that the longer I stay away from home, the more I miss the foods Mother cooked. Sometimes I miss them so much that I cannot even tell I miss which more, Mother or the foods she cooked. Or maybe they are the same, all standing for the deep nostalgia lingering on my mind.
Writing here, Wang Wei, a Chinese poet from Tang Dynasty came to my mind with his famous poem: A lonely stranger in a strange land I am cast, I miss my family all the more on every festive. I think there are numerous people for the moment staying in the same situation as I am in: We miss our family and our parents, but
somehow we cannot accompany them oftentimes.
But I belive that parting is just temporary, we, with our parents, will soon get
together, and won't leave one another ever after. So here, upon the forthcoming
festival, to paraphrase another poem from ancient China—We wish each other a long life so as to share the beauty of this gracefu moonlight, even though miles
apart, wish our parents and we all a merry festival.
Sonnet
