april 25, 2006 - mangos

there is something very satisfying about picking a mango yourself and then eating it. today i found a good mango-picking-stick, a long thin piece of dry bamboo. perfect, light and strong with a split at one end that could be used to grab stems. searching out the most perfect, golden-orange specimens, i nudge gently at their stems. the ripest ones fall easily, each thump on the ground beside me a minor victory. sometimes they are less cooperative and require a nudge and a twist. some of the higher ones are beyond the reach even of my bamboo, and these inspire me to stretch and make little hops that are probably hilarious to the average guinean onlooker (or possibly any onlooker). a particularly loaded branch invites a vigorous shaking that results in a shower of fruit. the last mango is the zen mango. i nudge it gently with the bamboo stick in my right hand and as it falls, without really looking or trying, i catch it neatly with the other hand. a perfect sort of moment and time to go home.