Springtime in my Hometown (내 고향의 봄)
It is morning. You awake to the sounds of bird calls and feel the sunlight on your face. When you open your eyes, you see the Giant Willow Tree above you, with its long, flowing, and elegant branches that look like they are dancing in the breeze of the Ocean Pond. You sit up and say good morning to the Fox, who is also yawning and stretching and rubbing its eyes.
It is a beautiful spring morning, and you gaze with wonder at the tree above you. Although you have seen this Willow Tree every day of your life, just outside of your window, you never quite noticed the elegance of its swaying branches. You feel like the Willow Tree is inviting you to join in its morning rituals. As you watch it sway and sigh, you think, yes, this feels like a perfect way to start the day. You begin ambling and strolling about in the swaying branches of the Giant Willow Tree. You look up into this grand, tall tower of leaves, hearing the chirps of birds that have made this tree their home. As you move from branch to branch, you begin to feel a rhythm to the flowing motions. All at once, you realize that the branches are dancing to their very own song… perhaps another song of the springtime?
You close your eyes, listening. You think of all the great times you’ve had with this tree, playing around it, reading or drawing in its shade, enjoying small picnics below it. You remember family members telling you about how this giant being has seen so many springtimes come and go -- how it has stood in this very place for years and years, even generations. As you continue to listen and watch the tree in admiration, you begin to hear distant sounds -- the spirits of all the animals and people and celebrations and stories that have happened over the years, inside and underneath and on top of and beside this grand Willow Tree. You join the chorus of voices as you dance.
Create
The main character of this song is the willow tree, and the main theme is phenology, or the study of nature's calendar. What are your favorite signs of springtime? Do you have a favorite tree? How does it change in the springtime? Make some drawings and observations below.