Katana Smith
ENG 100 Assignment #1: Hiraeth Narrative The Innocence of Childhood I wake up to the comforting sound of my mother’s voice saying “Tana, time to wake up”. The birds are chirping outside my window and the sun is shining into my already yellow painted room. I can smell the lovely aroma of eggs, bacon, grits, and potatoes. I hop out of bed and run down the stairs past the baskets of laundry waiting to be washed or folded. My grandparents, whom I call Granny and Poppa, have already started their day. Poppa is sitting in his rocking chair, reading the newspaper and drinking a cup of coffee. There is soft jazz music playing on the radio. Granny is setting the table for breakfast. She asks me to help bring the different jellies and jams over to the table for our toast. I’m almost 6 years old and my mother and I are living with my grandparents. I feel happy, safe, comfortable, and content here. My mom comes downstairs after she gets her shower. We sit down and enjoy breakfast together, talking about our plans for the day. After we finish eating, Poppa lets me read the funnies; my favorite part of the newspaper. The clock on the wall chimes. Now it’s time to get dressed, brush my teeth, and get ready for the rest of the day. I love the toothpaste my Granny uses, it’s gentle and has a slight orangey flavor. I throw on my favorite Minnie Mouse t-shirt and shorts set and leave my pajamas on my unmade bed. Granny is folding laundry in her bedroom. I ask Poppa to help me brush my hair, he’s the best at getting the tangles out. He tells me it’s easier to brush when you start at the ends of your hair and work your way up. I go into the bathroom to put my brush away and my mom is there, putting on her makeup. I sit down and we talk. I watch her as she puts on her mascara and eyeliner. Before we leave the bathroom she uses her hairspray and it gets all over the door. The door feels sticky as there are layers of hairspray from other days of this happening. I wonder what it would be like to wear makeup and use hairspray. I put my arms around my mom and tell her that I love her so much. She is my favorite person in the world. I hope one day I can be like her. The clock chimes. I decide I’m going to play outside today. I walk out the front door and look at the bright blue sky. It’s a beautiful, warm, and sunny summer day with just the right amount of wind. The chipmunk that lives under the steps is scurrying around in the flowerbed. The squirrels are climbing around in the trees. I see the mailman drive by. I wave to our neighbor, whom I call Miss Betty. I love to play at her house when her grandchildren are visiting. My best friend Ashton lives across the street. She comes over and we ride our bikes together. Then we play on my swing set in the backyard. We swing so high we feel like we are flying. It’s getting hot out so we decide to go for a swim. The pool is set up on the deck. We splash around for a while. Granny comes out with a picnic lunch for us. She must know we’re starving by now. I help her set up the blanket on the grass. I can feel the warm summer breeze on my skin. We are sitting under a tree so there is plenty of shade to block the sun. Ashton and I enjoy our sandwiches and carrot sticks. We wash it down with my favorite juice. Poppa is in the driveway washing the van so I bring him some juice. Now it’s time to color. I have tons of sidewalk chalk. I begin to draw on the sidewalk, a picture of my comfort zone. In this moment, I am completely carefree, not a worry in the world. It’s mid afternoon now and I’m getting a little tired. I say goodbye to Ashton and head inside. I walk up the two steps into my grandparents house. It smells like a mix between herbs and flowers. Poppa is outside watering his garden. Mom has gone out to run some errands. It’s just Granny and I. We decide to watch some TV in the basement. The basement is dark and a little damp. The Big Comfy Couch is on; we love that show. Granny brings down some celery with peanut butter and raisins on top and a glass of milk. The clock chimes. We relax and watch the show. Granny is knitting while we watch, she wants to get a blanket finished before church on Sunday. When the show is over I run out the back door to see what Poppa is up to in the garden. Poppa is working hard to tend to the garden, watering the plants and pruning when necessary. The row of raspberries catches my eye. Poppa hands me a basket and tells me I can pick some raspberries. I start picking them one by one, occasionally sneaking one into my mouth, to make sure they are good. Poppa says we are going to put them on our vanilla ice cream later. The clock on the wall chimes again. I walk into Poppa’s office and over to his desk. I reach over the stack of bills to grab some paper and a pencil. I want to write a story about a girl and her family. I sit in the comfy brown recliner and let my thoughts pour onto the paper. I always had a big imagination. I must have dozed off because by the time I woke up my mom was already home from her errands and I could smell dinner cooking. The aroma of steak, roasted potatoes and vegetables made me hungry. I run past the shopping bags full of the things my mom picked up while she was out and into the kitchen. Dinner is about ready and I am starving. Once again, I help set the table and we all sit down to eat. My grandparents are talking about the things they have to get done this week. I interrupt to ask if we can watch a movie after dinner. It’s getting dark out now. From the window, I can see the streetlights are on and the moon and stars are shining bright in the enormous night sky. I wonder what’s out there. Mom runs me a bath and I get in. The water is warm and smells like flowers from the bubble bath she used. I get out of the tub and dry off with my big fluffy blue towel. I go into my room to put my comfiest pajamas on and then downstairs to pick the movie. I decide to watch Beauty and the Beast, it’s one of my favorites. The clock chimes. We watch our movie together while eating vanilla bean ice cream with the raspberries we picked earlier in the day. I love the sweetness of the ice cream mixed with the tartness of the raspberries. The feeling I have is so amazing it’s almost indescribable. I am alive. I’m with the people who make me feel loved, in the house that makes me feel safe. After the movie, mom tucks me in bed and granny comes to read me a bedtime story. She reads me my favorite story about a boy who only eats cheese, peas, and chocolate pudding. As I lay in bed, my thoughts start to drift away into dreams. I can feel my granny kiss me on my forehead as I slowly fall asleep. I remember this day like it was yesterday. Oh, how I long to go back to this place. Life was so much simpler. There was no stress, anxiety or worry. I was always happy. I still had my innocence. This innocence is something I can never get back. I wasn’t aware of any of the negative things going on in the world. I just knew I loved my family and that my life was great. I’m older now and my life is a lot different. There are bills, responsibilities and obligations. There is a lot of stress. I have a lot less free time. I love my life now, but I miss the feeling of being carefree. My grandparents have retired and they now live in Alabama. We visit them once a year. When we visit them, memories from the past flood my mind. It reminds me of the times when life was simpler. Sometimes, I get feelings that remind me of those innocent times. However, nothing will ever compare to the way things were back then.
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April 2017
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