Prompt: Close your eyes briefly. Think of one object that's in the room and focus on it. Without opening your eyes, recall as much detail about it as you can. After a few minutes, write about that object without looking at it.
The soft paper canvas is stretched along the wall, pushpins holding it up. The scene: a typical Ghanaian village. It reminds me of the northern village in the Talisman district. The smell of dirt and dust fill my nostrils from the memories of being there.
A setting sun in the distance illuminates the sky, blanketing the bare earth. Only huts, trees, and humans exist here. Wildlife is rare. There is no blue - no water, no blue sky. Hues of yellow, orange, and brown fill the canvas and precipitate vivid memories of me wandering in the Ghanaian landscape.
The flat terrain is hard and barren; no crops are being grown or harvested. There has been little rain. Rough rocks etched by the surrounding soil pierce the soles and scratch my foot. Small pebbles of rock permanently reside in my shoes regardless of how many times I shake them out.
Accra, the capital, seems so far removed from this remote village, and I can be fairly certain that the artist never set foot in that district, yet he captures the very essence of it. The painting immediately draws me in, and I feel I must preserve my memory by purchasing it.
Over 2,000 miles away, every time I look at the painting, it transports me back to that village: laughing and eating meals with the natives, walking around, and having a generally good time getting back to basics. It reminds me of a simpler, although not easier, life. A life that I want to experience again, even if only for a short time.
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