Spring Grass came into the world small like a blade of grass but unexpectedly loud. Her cries overpowered the rainfall outside as her parents marvelled at the noise coming from a baby her size. They joked that she split the clouds open with her cries that morning but this would be the last time for a while that Spring Grass tried to defy the rain. When she was little, she became quiet as her mother berated her while requiring her help for tasks around the home. Like grass, she was not the most important plant but she was necessary for her ecosystem. Her mother could not do all of the household tasks by herself and Spring Grass was the only help she had. Despite doing all of this, Spring Grass was still overlooked in her home considering all the work she did. And that’s how it went for many days in Spring Grass’ young life, but she was resilient despite her odds.
Spring Grass’ day started before dawn. In the comfort of the night, she helped her mother with house chores before she went to school. Even though the sun had not risen while she worked, the skies were often cloudy in the morning. If Spring Grass was a blade of grass, her mother was these clouds and the rain. She vocalized her emotions towards Spring Grass loudly and without care like how a storm does not think of the grass and the plants below. The clouds of her mother’s anger often concealed the warmth that her father made her feel. Spring Grass looked up to him so fondly and felt so understood like grass basking in the warmth of the sun. Her mother’s emotions also came in waves. Spring Grass’ was used to the little remarks or glares her mother would give her daily. These moments came often like seasonal rainfall and Spring Grass knew when rain would come. She had grown up with these storms and had bared her mother’s critique since she was little. Her mother’s moments of sincerity are what threw Spring Grass for a loop. Like a soft drizzle, her mother’s sincere words fell on Spring Grass’ ears. Rain this gentle rarely came. Spring Grass enjoyed the rain on these gentle days but almost wished for the normal rain because she didn’t trust the calm before the storm.
Other times, her mother seemed like a thunderstorm. The sky would turn gray and the sun would disappear as the rain poured heavily. But no matter how hard the rain poured down, Spring Grass never completely gave up. Just as a strong blade of grass could only be weighed down by so much water before it dripped off, Spring Grass was not weighed down by these words. She would make her mother understand the lengths she was willing to go to get what she desired. Spring Grass did not eat when she felt she had no other option to express how badly she wanted to go to school. Though the conditions were harsh, Spring Grass was born during a storm and had a determined spirit to find more gentle weather somewhere else eventually.
But one day there was no rain. Spring Grass always knew something was wrong when she couldn’t hear her mother complaining and this was the case in the winter of 1971. Spring Grass had achieved her goal of attending school after her hunger strike. Like a blade of grass bearing the harsh winter conditions, she held out for spring and the new possibilities that brought for her. Spring Grass wanted to get the top score in her final exams. But she went home one day and her mother was silent and in bed. No rain and no yelling. Her mother had fallen and her father explained that she’d have to quit school to help out with the responsibilities at home. Her duties as a daughter came first, and her desire to be a student came second. Her hopes had been trampled on as grass gets stepped on without any thought of how the grass might feel. This was almost worse than the rain. It was like the sun and the clouds were reflecting on each other and had created a glare that Spring Grass couldn’t stand to look at. She had to leave.
Her father, the sun, knew how much this meant to her. He was just as proud as she hoped when she got the highest mark on her exams. He also knew exactly how she felt when she saw her mother injured on the bed. Her father made her feel warm and understood like the sun. Though he was not as aggressive of a force as her mother, his presence could still be felt like the sun’s rays on the plants below. After a storm sometimes the clouds would part a bit and the sun would peak out. Her father often didn’t know what to do to stop their arguments but his presence alone meant that she felt truly seen and understood. The clouds of her mother’s anger almost felt suffocating and she wondered why her dad was so passive with her mom. Once, the sun remained out while it rained and refused to get covered by the clouds. When Spring Grass went on her hunger strike to join her brothers in school, her father raised his voice at her mother for the first time she had ever heard. She did not know he was capable of making such loud noises and learned that the strength of the sun is no less than the force of the rain. But today she did not want to see the force of the sun, not in this way. She knew he didn’t want to have to do this, but it still hurt. Spring Grass ran. She ran away from home, past the village, up the hilltop. She tried to outrun the sun, it’s brightness dimming the longer she ran. She ran until the wind felt sharp rushing past her face like she was flying.
Her brothers, Spring Rain, Spring Wind, and Spring Sun, reminded her of this wind. Their lives were completely different than hers. They did not have to do any of the tasks Spring Grass’ mother gave her. They got to attend school while she had to leave. Like the wind, her brothers moved and acted freely in a way that she never could. They seemed unaware of what she went through as a blade of grass and she understood that she could not live like them. She was a girl and they were boys.
But Spring Rain was different. He is still a gust of wind but he sympathized with Spring Grass. Spring Rain brought her hope of cities and a life far away just like how a pleasant scent can be carried a long distance by the wind. While her older brothers and their new wives served as reminders of her inevitable fate, Spring Rain was a gentle breeze of fresh air. He wanted to bring her with him into the city when he went to university and she desperately wanted to be as far away from her village as possible. Though the wind will never know what it’s like to be a blade of grass and vice versa, the wind blows softly on the grass which is grateful for the foreign scents the wind carries.
They also had the ability to act on others in a way that she could not. Spring Rain, Spring Wind, and Spring Sun are names that bring up strong forces that act on nature.They have mobility to choose what they’d like to do growing up or who they’d like to be. A name like Spring Grass does not bring up a strong force but a plant that those forces are acted upon. Grass can not act upon the rain, the wind, or the sun and can only react. Spring Grass didn’t get to choose to stay in school, she had no option but to leave. Spring Grass is rooted into their home with her mother until she is married when she will be uprooted and live elsewhere. The future of a blade of grass, no matter how strong, is a bit dim compared to the possibilities the wind holds.
By the time Spring Grass caught her breath on the hilltop, the wind felt more gentle as the sun began to set and she yelled. She yelled to her heart’s content and got no answers in return. The sun had set by now and the moon was slowly rising. As she looked up at, tears streaming down her face after losing her dream, she couldn’t help but be reminded of the stories of her aunt. When her aunt had been around, she argued with Spring Grass’ mother often. They refused to be outdone by each other but her mother couldn’t do much because her aunt had money. Her aunt held her head high like how the brightness of the moon never manages to be covered no matter how cloudy the sky at night.
Her aunt was also harsh on her before but after her death she thought of her a bit more fondly. She used to tell Spring Grass stories from her past before she went to bed and she often missed that now. Her aunt told stories about how skilled a young woman she was, her adventures, and more. These stories gave Spring Grass hope for the future. She also gave Spring Grass all of her savings when she died. As her aunt fondly looked down at her during her time on earth, the moon shone brightly down on Spring Grass. While Spring Grass was preoccupied with her mom during the day, at night her aunt talked to her and she felt like they were talking now. Spring Grass was still upset having to quit school but watching the moon on the hilltop gave her a small bit of reassurance. Though the odds weren’t in her favor, she’d still find a way to get what she wanted eventually.
As Spring Grass walked back home in the dark, she couldn’t help but still be mad at her mother. She hated her mother and thinks her mother hates her but rain is necessary for growth along with sunlight. An excess or shortage of either is detrimental to the growth of a blade of grass. The warmth and patience of her father balances the quick tongue and temper of her mother. It rains often but the rain is followed by the sun. And the moon provides her with comfort and protection from the weather during the day. Spring Grass also knows that the wind is affected by these natural forces in a different way than they affect her. All three forces can act on her in powerful ways and she manages to react in clever ways that make up for her lack of power. Though Spring Grass may often feel like a small blade of grass, she is tougher than she looks and full of hope. She can bear harsh conditions no matter what forces are at play. And like how spring is a time of new beginnings and hope, Spring Grass’ day ends and tomorrow morning holds new possibilities.