293) In 1624, John Donne wrote that “no man is an island.” What Donne failed to anticipate, however, is how this sentiment might be applied to the humble mailbox. On an island. Surrounded by asphalt. Since Donne himself is unlikely to tackle this thorny issue any time soon, I thought I should investigate the matter myself by visiting this marooned mailbox and seeing how it’s doing. Overall, the box is quite content and he really enjoys the unobstructed 360-degree view. There’s the little matter of a constant fear of being run over, but he had done a pretty good job of suppressing that.