A Trip of Seeking

The day began with peacefulness, without realizing. In this grand campus, I wanted to find a serene place to breathe. Then from Logan Arts Center I set off, with hesitation, but more because of the fear of facing a real interest. Together with others, we left the seemingly silent classroom, embracing the hot weather as a possible trade-off for our goal. Our guide, Professor Lytal, showed big confidence, encouraging us to paint and jot down our thoughts as we could. Beginning beside a small street, I avoided basking and chose a generic stone corner as a seat. As a brand new experience, I got stuck as I wrote, I ruminated as I got stuck, and I wrote as I ruminated.

Cars bustling with noise

we are wandering to seek

quiet food for our minds.

It was not enough, I immediately thought. With a further glance, I noticed more, and this time I wrote more quick:

Trees weaving webs to

lift a grand silence

refreshed my dim sights

Along with a bus shooting away the street, all of us finished our first station. We crossed the road and walked in quick steps: I felt happy about my small success at the beginning of this trip, accompanied with the thorough washing of my sleepy sights. The weather became even much hotter than a few minutes ago, making me both annoyed yet energetic, and it cleaned almost all of my tiredness.

We controlled our paces, walking through different paths till one of lawns in the campus, waiting for professor’s instruction, sitting down one by one, facing toward the protagonist within this big area — a grand trunk. The huge shade covered almost everywhere from my limited perspective, and the random light dots mapped on the floor seemed like distractors instead of the background. I walked around this trunk before finding a nice spot to sit. I touched it, closely and immersively. It evoked very precious tranquility in my deep heart, and I expected I would find my own peacefulness soon. I sat down on a dry place I could find, sketched:

Slim giant kindly stood

One of arms lean on the ground

spreading his glowing leaves

With a better personification, I immediately replaced the third line with:

preaching his glowing beliefs

The next checkpoint was really distant from here, and when I realized that I have already sweated a lot on my back. During this trek, again we walked sinuous paths and entered a cool (in temperature) corridor. Before leaving this corridor, from the arched gate I’ve seen the picturesque paradise of weaving trees in a plaza surrounded by castle-like buildings on four sides. Tremendous trunks with vines entwined in and cracks inside the bark made a gorgeous moment: it was just a moment, since I subsequently entered the plaza and stayed in side this maze by myself. I sat and listened to TA’s advices on my work before. Even at this moment I was looking for my peacefulness, but it doesn’t seem exist here. Nevertheless, I still wrote:

Two paths dividing

lawn of mazes, a maze of lawn.

Calmness far away

After traveling across those big lawns, professor led us to somewhere actually inside the buildings. The paths here became suddenly small and short, so we paid more attention on our steps. We entered Bond Chapel, and I’ve seen one of the most elegant sceneries in Chicago. Stained glass panes surrounded me and attempted to captivate me forever. Circles, squares, flowers, rhombus, and others all appeared in a single pane. Besides, together with colorful lights penetrating from panes, hanging candles which radiate dimly, from ceiling,  formed a mysterious atmosphere that silenced all of us. Blue-colored seated chairs were arranged in rows. When I lifted my head, I could see the arched ceiling, the dark brownish fences and, most interestingly, a huge organ that possessed a three columned structure above all of us. Affected by the deity, I recorded:

Hot impiety was washed

We listen to the calmness

of an organ, piously

However, I was chased out from the chapel because of my internal instability. My peacefulness couldn’t be found out here, and where should I go?

Again, professor helped me to get close to the answer, leading us to the next destination: another lawn, sunny and windy. Soft winds are the best thing in this world. I sat in a gentle shadow with my friends, examining the new environment closely. There was a huge tree sitting with me in this corner of lawn, but the trees in other three quarters of lawns were much smaller. Steep, triangle roofed buildings nearby embraced all of us, so I felt a sense of safety. Under this lazy influence, I said about my observation:

Wind of ease blows over

my numb mind. Bugs in bushes

sing in unison

Unexpectedly, professor told us that we were heading to the last place. I felt slightly disappointed, yet also determined because I wanted to see whether I would grasp this last opportunity. We crossed roads, walked by Max Palevsky Residential Commons, saw the transparent, semisphere-shaped library and arrived our last meeting place. It was a pond, blusish green, unclean but vivid, contrasted with the cerulean and pure sky. I saw the coolest trios here: three tortoises basking on an adorable stone plate, three dragonflies chasing each other, three students including me sitting on the bench nearby. We were all finding something we wanted, and I still failed. Nonetheless, writing was always necessary:

Turtles have their mode,

so do fish, bugs and even moss

Best samples forever

I knew the difficulty of my goals, so I decided to pardon myself. Returned my dorm. Had another comfortable afternoon. When I retrieve those memories, I felt surprised and touched. Nothing could express my feelings better at that moment than in this poem then:

Seeking peacefulness

never ends and shouldn’t end

It is time to sleep!

Hence, successfully, the day ended with peacefulness.