An Island is Not a Paradise

An Island is Not a Paradise(Dorsey Baker) Elmo was thinking. He thought to himself, "I am on this island, I am all by myself, I see the birds and I know the fish are down there, but they don't bother me, and I don't bother them! Away from mankind! At least, ...for awhile." He was sitting on a blanket he had brought along and he was drinking heavily from a bottle of vodka and smoking a huge smelly cigar. No one was there to tell him how much whiskey he could drink. No one was there to complain about the odor of his cigar. He had promised himself that he would remain on the island until he'd had enough of it. He had been there a week or so and he thought that he would never have any desire to return to the world that he had come from...referring to people and places. "I can think my thoughts and not be disturbed, Aint no traffic to get in my way, this is so peaceful...so nice!" He was excited to be by himself. He had not been by himself for such a long while. He had had family, he had had friends and co-workers all around him constantly! By himself, he could better understand himself, by himself, he could better be himself, be more at ease, he thought! "By himself" he shouted gleefully. But after awhile being by himself was becoming just as stressful and hard as being among the world...referring to people and places. He was longing to see someones face...longing to hear someones voice! He was secretly becoming lonely! Now he realized that you must let an island be a retreat: not a surrender!