Desert Messenger

12 www.DesertMessenger.com November 4, 2015 Traveling with Gypsy Jane by Jane Finley writer * artist * teacher (stretching, exercise, relaxation, meditation) The Mystery Letter Port Angeles, Washington When I got back to my seat at the library, there was a letter on my chair. The envelope was jagged and looked like it had been ripped open in haste. There was a post- age stamp in the upper right hand corner, which was strange because there was no address on the enve- lope. Where the address would be were the words "To the poet who read so beautifully" in my own handwriting! So it couldn't have been mailed, I thought. In the upper left hand corner, a bit of the envelope had been cut away, and a tiny, silver, upside- down heart, not a perfect heart but skewed, had been placed in the opening. I didn't put it there. I also noticed something shiny and beautiful showing through the envelope. As I looked closer, it was a sparkly, sliver of some sort of stone. Good thing it didn't come by mail; it could never have survived. But how in the world did it get here? I hadn't been to any poetry readings in this town. Obviously, I had sent this to someone I admired -- a poet I had heard read his poems in some city in my travels. But who? And where? I took the letter to a more secluded place in the library, fear- ing my excitement would disturb others nearby, although it was a quiet kind of ecstasy. I wanted to go over the letter thoroughly, read what I wrote inside, and try to remember who the poet was and all the details. I moved to another seat and went over the letter again, relish- ing every moment. Yes, that was my handwriting on the envelope. And I noticed again, the stamp, the little silver heart, the sparkly sliver of stone, and the way the letter was ripped open, obviously enthusiasti- cally. But still, I could not remem- ber the poet I wrote to or what city I might have been in at the time. I sat for a while, just enjoying the magic of it all, then decided to read the letter inside -- a letter I obviously wrote but didn't remember where or when or to whom. Before I could take the letter out of the envelope, a man walked by. He had a big grin on his face, and I responded with the same. Of course, I remembered him: the poet I had written to! There was a lot of electricity in the air at that moment. I didn't say anything. He said, "To quote a Japanese poet, 'Perhaps we should decide where we're going before we go there.'" I said, "I've got some suggestions." I am writing this story within an hour of it actually happening. And I need to tell you, dear reader, that I haven't been to a poetry reading in my more than two years of travel! You see, it was all just a beautiful, magical dream -- a rare jewel of a dream -- a fantasy. When I awoke from my nap, the dream in all its de- tail was vivid in my mind -- less than an hour since I started writing this. ~*~*~*~*~*~ "A dreamer -- you know -- it's a mind that looks over the edges of things".....Mary O'Hara, author ~*~*~*~*~ Jane's book is WANDERINGS: Living the Ordinary Extraordinari- ly (Stories from the Road). For an update on Jane's travels and writing, visit her website (janefinley.com) and/or read "Traveling with Gypsy Jane" and "Poems from the Road" in The Des- ert Messenger (desertmessenger. com) since March 5, 2014. First locally-owned and operated music station in Quartzsite, Arizona. Proudly serving the communities of Quartzsite, Bouse, Brenda, Rainbow Acres, La Paz Valley and beyond, since 1988. Quartzsite Radio • Quartzsite's Favorite "CLASSIC HITS" • Local Information • Weather • 24 Hours Day / 7 Days Week! KBUX 94.3 FM 928-927-5111 http://kbuxradio.com Dave's DIESEL DIAGNOSTIC SERVICE David Atherton 605-999-0720 • Pat Atherton 816-797-5460 Located at Quartzsite Marketplace 50 E. Kuehn WELDING & FABRICATING SERVICES Mobile Shop - Machine Shop Services - Hydraulic Hose Repair - The Smoke Shop Open Year-Round for our local residents Thank you for your support! SEASONAL HOURS 8AM - NOON MONDAY thru FRIDAY 9AM-4PM SUNDAY (Nov. 15-April 30) Closed Saturday

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