When the
sun rises, the drops of rain that have been covering me all night finally have
a chance to evaporate. There goes Mrs. Fuller with her tiny, ridiculous dog.
All fluff and nothing else. The ball of fur shakes itself when it accidentally
brushes up against a bush covered with last night’s rain. How I long to shake
myself like that dog.
I hate every drop of rain that will
eventually turn my arms and legs into rust. Given enough time, the rain will
also warp all of my wooden slats. These are just some of the worries of a park
bench.
With the
coming of spring, the nights have thankfully started to get warmer. I’m looking
forward to the summertime. That’s my favorite time of the year. So many people
visit the park and this area comes alive. In my years of existence, I’ve
witnessed some amazing things, most of which happen in the warm summer months.
Picnics and parties fill the green yard, and I have plenty of company. I’ve
been a silent witness to secrets shared that I can’t ever tell anyone.
Once, I even witnessed the joy of a
young couple’s marriage proposal. I’ll never forget that nervous young man as
he dropped down on one knee and asked his sweetheart to marry him. I could feel
the happiness radiating from the young woman as she said yes.
A jogger
stops and sits on me, just as the sun’s rays finish warming my seat. He fiddles
with the fancy watch on his wrist for a few moments before he takes off running
again.
Humans are
always in such a hurry. They’re always missing out on the best things. The sun
is bright and beautiful, and the world is coming alive. There’s a family of
bunnies that lives in the burrow under the tree, and one of them just darted across
the grass. I don’t think anyone has ever noticed them. I see all the wildlife
that walks carefully across the lawn when the humans are gone. The quail bob
through the grass, looking for seeds and bugs. There’s a snake den under the
bushes, near the big rocks.
You’re the first person I’ve been
able to tell these things to. Now you know how a park bench feels. Think about
that the next time you sit on one. Open your eyes and pay attention. You never
know what you might see. Who knows? You might notice the hawks circling in the
sky or be able to enjoy the breeze that flows perfectly through here. Maybe you
could even see a dragon. What, not real, you say? I challenge you to come here at
night and look up at the stars. Who’s to say that there aren’t any dragons in the
great cosmos?
