《我思念垂柳》
人上了年紀，就常常思念過往。可是，我對垂柳的思念，不是因為上了幾歲年紀，而是由於看不見垂柳了。
那曾是多麽普通的垂柳。兒時的河邊堤岸上，青年時大學校園裏未名湖畔，一行行，一排排，到處都是，隨處可見。每當春至夏來，青綠的枝條就那樣瀟瀟灑灑地垂著，像極了綠色的簾子，隨風擺動，鬱鬱蔥蔥，風姿綽約。我都不記得，曾經認真的正眼看過它們沒有。
我東奔西走。突然有一天發現，我身邊沒有垂柳了。我在社區裏走街串巷地尋找，卻是再也沒找到。讓我不能忍受的是，我居住的地方根本就不生長垂柳。這個事實幾乎讓我絕望了。
直到這時，我開始抱怨自己，為什麽流落在了一個沒有垂柳的他鄉。我曾想，垂柳是不是在幾何時曾經也挽留過我，而我匆忙的身影沒有在意它的留戀？
垂柳是沒有錯的。是我在所謂的追求中，不知不覺中，離棄了垂柳，那一株株一片片、不知不覺中早已長在我心裏、陪伴著我靈魂的綠色。
我思念垂柳。
——
二零二零年三月
於得克薩斯家中
Longing for weeping willows
As one grows older, he or she is apt to feel nostalgic. I miss weeping willows having no business with my age, but because I can no longer see them.
What a kind ordinary tree weeping willows once were. By the riverside of my hometown when I was a child, and on the bank of the Lake Unnamed on the college campus when I was young, they were in rows and rows, far and near, high and low, almost everywhere my eyes could reach out to. With spring and summer, their long and lush twigs were hanging down chicly and lightheartedly, like green curtains, swinging gracefully with the wind. I don't even remember if I had ever attentively looked at them.
I tramped hither and thither, and from the east to the west of the global village. One day, I was suddenly aware that I have not seen weeping willows for a long time. I was driving through every street and to each cul-de-sac of the community to search for them, unfortunately did not catch sight of any. What made me unendurable was I was told that no weeping willows can live in the place where I stay. This fact dropped me into the abyss of despair in that moment.
Until then, I began to blame myself for having resided in a land without weeping willows. I wonder if the weeping willows could had lingered on holding me back sometime or somewhere but the guy in a rush did not notice their unwillingness to part.
There was nothing wrong with the weeping willows. It was me being engaged in so-called pursuits, before I knew it, abandoned the weeping willows, the green field has been at the bottom of my heart and accompanied my soul ever since.
I am missing the weeping willows.
