Will Amante Sends A Dispatch

Jason Archer, Archivist and Busker-in-Chief for This Side of Paradise, received a dispatch from Will Amante just hours ago, and we are pleased to share it here. You'll recall Will from postings earlier this year -- or shall we say, "earlier this page?" (Simply scroll down and look for the mangoes.) We are most pleased to hear from Will (through Jason), and especially so on this day ... the 22nd of September. There are 100 full days of calendar year 2008 remaining. And, there are many strange roads we must travel to make the words "better than good."
-- Cada Cabeza Es Un Mundo, Geoff

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(undated letter)

Dear Jason:

I have arrived amidst the golden glow and amber hues of the mango grove, drenched in sunshine dew (there is a yellowish-orange stain on the paper here). Oh, excuse my mess, I could not help myself. The sticky-sweet nectar of life was calling to me. When your muses call, you must respond. I would never want to spite the muses with my rude disregard. I didn't think you'd mind as much. Plus, you know how I can't resist the first bite of a fresh mango. Those droplets of tangy juice cascading over my lips and running down my tongue are like a lover's caress to me. Ah, much better.

You know, something happened to me on this journey Jason. I was wandering about, you know, as I like to do. One always comes across the greatest treasures this way -- wandering. However, this time was different. The road that I chose, without choosing, quickly grew difficult. It wound in ways that turned my face into my hands and my ears into my toes. I was so hungry for the heavenly mangoes, dangling from the mango trees that I started to lose confidence. Why had I strayed the trail? I could have taken the way known. I could have had the succulent sweetness of the mango dripping down my chin already. It was then, at that moment of confusion and despair that I realized, breaking from the trodden trail also comes with risks. I almost lost myself, desiring to follow the path others had paved. At that moment I stopped and a thought entered my mind: "In the desperation to have what we want, it is easy to miss what we see."

Well it must have been one of the muses, because there before me was the mango grove I'm laying in now. I'd never seen this place before, never heard of it, never even dreamed of it. And -- yes, wait a moment. It is what I thought. Another of the muses is speaking. I have to be very quiet and put down my pen.

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Ah, that's a good one, but perhaps I need to ponder it for a few moments. The muse said: "It's most often the things you're not looking for that end up being the things you are supposed to find." (I think she might have been talking about me.)

My friend, I think it is time for me to enjoy a siesta. Wish you could have come, but do not worry. I will be bringing back a treasure chest of gold, green, and red ripe mangoes for you ... that is, if there are any left after I stop to visit Geoff and Eleanor on my way back.

To Love is To Live and To Be Loved is To Be Alive,

Will Amante