Mountain Air

This is what I crave when back home in Bristol- my nose, throat and pores clogging up with the vileness of city excretions, my shoulders cowering, protecting my chest against taking too deep a breath.

Here I hold my head high, fling my arms wide, take greedy gulps of the glorious, fragrant mountain air. A gentle breeze can carry scents of the basil fields ‘gìu’ or the ‘taste’ of the river’s mineral water. You can see the clarity of the air. Your skin revels in the cleanliness, your lungs suddenly find their full capacity. You can sense the bountiful benefits saturating your very being and you feel better.

This is the air I wish for my children to know and to breathe. This is the air quality I wish for all of us to expect.

This air is, surely, the elixir of life.