Country Girl

Like most children, I grew up with the story of Country Mouse and City Mouse. In this tale, City Mouse convinces Country Mouse to visit her in the city where life is so much more exciting.

Even as a child, I could never understand. How could City Mouse be so sure that life in the metropolis was superior? How could she not see the beauty in the simplicity of the countryside?

I grew up in a suburb-turning-town-turning-city in the Tri-State area. I still remember the tree-lined streets that crisscrossed the expanse I called home. I loved them, the trees, the green haven of summer, the heartrending loneliness of them cowering under the ice, quivering in the cold. I cried through every storm that cruelly slashed one of my cherished trees. I thrived in the spring, when my innards unfurled together with the blossoms budding on every tree.

Then change came, and with it, those wicked trucks that destroyed my dreams. I cried for days after the trees were gone, and while residents were happy with the more spacious boulevards and sidewalks, I yearned for the maple tree-lined streets, colored in wild hues when winter crept in.