by Mario Depeine Sr

Created on: May 28, 2008   Last Updated: June 10, 2008

Every now and then I smell something that takes me back to when I was a preteen and carefree. It was a time when very little mattered to me. I lived in the Garden State and for some reason my mother wanted to plant corn in our backyard. Having spent my first 8 years in the Caribbean, I remembered the abundance of fruit and vegetable plants that flourished in our neighborhood. I remembered the coconut and banana trees (we had one in our yard). It was so wonderful to just see the trees bear their fruit in the Spring. There was something very special about going to the backyard and just picking a banana or two and it was absolutely free!

So when my mom wanted to plant corn in New Jersey I said by all means, let's do it. I realized that it was going to require some patience on my part. First we got the corn and planted them in rows and made sure that we didn't plant the seeds too deeply. I don't quite remember how my mom even made sure that as children we did not bury the corn too much. Once the seeds were planted, it became a daily ritual to see what would come of those seeds. Every day on my way to school and after school I would look to see if there was any progress. At times it was a little discouraging.

Finally, I saw life sprouting from the ground. It was so amazing to see that the rain, the ground and the sun were working together to bring forth the corn plants that I so eagerly waited for. Not too long after the plants were getting taller and taller and you could see that corn was being produced. The smell was so real and inviting. I just looked forward to the time when we could pick the corn and roast it. That was how I liked my corn.

When the day came for us to harvest the corn all I could remember was the smell. Everything smelled so fresh and green. To think that seeds had produced something so wonderful and pure. When I finally ate my corn, it was the best corn I had ever had. I am no longer that preteen but I think that as an adult I probably should go back in my yard and just relive that time when life was absolutely carefree. My mother is no longer on this Earth, but I am thankful that she gave me such a simple and pleasant memory and shared that moment with me.

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