17 Descriptive Essays - English IGCSE Writing

Once beautiful, now spoiled

Describe an area that was once beautiful but is now spoiled.

Strolling nonchalantly down the cobbled pathway scattered with litter, I proverbially take a trip down memory lane about my childhood memories in this very neighbourhood park. A multitude of fleeting flashbacks are conjuring in my mind as I glance at my surroundings which are reminiscent of my past experiences. I am mesmerized and entranced into a momentary reverie by the nostalgia, seemingly reliving my youthful memories from as far back as a decade ago.

Waves of disappointment and sorrow batter against me as I break out of the reverie, just to be welcomed by the unwelcoming sight of a dreadfully spoiled park. Through the relentless vicissitudes of time, the park has undergone a stark change of atmosphere and appearance for the worse.

The once luxuriant landscape is now perishing as the withering grass turns dry and brown. Dead leaves are dispersed throughout the lifeless park. Wilted monochrome flowers can be seen weeping everywhere, engulfed in the miasma of despair that fills the park. However, there are some patches of overgrown and untrimmed bushes occupying the land, making it visually noisy and unpleasant.

I continue to tread down the rocky path, noticing that the wooden benches that I used to seek respite from, are now dusty and worn out, with oxidation stains covering it all over. Gusts of breezy wind brushes my cheeks, further contributing to the desolate atmosphere. Scatters of bottles, newspapers and garbage bags lie comfortably on the ground alongside spots of faeces, creating a medley of nauseating stench, which wafts through the air.

Registering the incessant amount of flowing water sounds in the background, I remember that there is a river situated beside the park. I walk over to the riverside, longing to see the placid emerald waters that I used to swim in. Instead, I am greeted by a painful view of a polluted river. Disgusting oil spread out across the river, obscuring the riverbed. More bags of garbage spoil the scene and hinder the path of the water.

It feels like a substantial fraction of my memories are contaminated together with the neighbourhood park and the river. Heartbroken, a tear falls from my eyes.

->I used both present tense and past tense to contrast the present and the childhood memories.