Wild and beautiful

Uri walked, fists stuffed in both pockets. The afternoon was cold and wet, an occasional wind making it's way though.

Mother hated when the weather was like this. She preferred clear skies and a bright sun... Uri, however, leaned otherwise. He wasn't keen to being blinded during his walks: the clouds provided shade and the ability to see without squinting.

The average person preferred many things Uri didn't... Then again, Uri wasn't average. He kept his hair cropped short with no parts, (how could one decide whether a middle or a side part was aesthetically pleasing?), the only pants he wore were denim (if they couldn't stand on their own, he didnt touch them), and he only spoke in one word responses. This confounded Uri himself, being that there were chapters of words written on the pages of his mind. When presented with the task of speaking, he combed through the simplest of sentences and gave the best.

Why, then, did he feel so out of place and misunderstood? Why must people stare at him strangely when they ask if he's okay and he says "impossible" ? It's not that he isn't feeling anything... It's that the emotions are so complex, it would be impossible to articulate it at the very moment asked.

Yes, Uri didn't belong... He didn't belong anywhere other than here. Now. When walking. Only then could he explore the tender matters of the heart... Like the shrubbery! Even in the rain, the little vines and leaves reached out to him, he, who walked directly in the middle of the dusty road. It tickled him to watch the leaves blow in the wind. It were as if they were constantly trying to touch him, waving hello, competing to see who could break free first. A surge of pleasure filled him whenever the breeze came. When it became oh so tempting, Uri would snatch a few stems and take them home, offering a cheating opportunity. Oh, if they could talk how they'd thank him! He put them on the dining room table, feeling as if he saved the world, further deepening his mother's perplexity upon seeing him bring yet another bushel of weeds home that bore no flowers.

"Uri...." Mother frowned..."Only weeds?"

Turning to her with a triumphant smile, Uri motioned grandly with both arms. "Win!"

And with that, he left the room.

jAy P.