mutant entradish III

last night was the 110th annual festival of the radishes. local folk carve inedible 2-3 foot long radishes into nativity scenes, animals, etc, with a $1,300 prize given to the best radish sculpture. there’re two more prizes for best corn husk sculpture, and best sculpture made from straw flowers. vegetable, plant, and flower art sculptures – what a perfect place for two found-object assemblage artists to land.

the radish (Raphanus sativus L) originated in china, and was brought to mexico by the spanish. spanish priests in the 1800s suggested the indigenous folk carve radishes to help attract people to their food stalls in the market. i wonder about the sativus middle name of the radish, whether it’s distantly related to sativa (grass). maybe i’ll smoke a radish or two, engage in some serious radish reduction.

radish was my secret name back in the 1960s and 70s. i chose it because the radish hides its fiery red hot volatile nature underground, and sends up safe non-threatening green leafs to fool the populace. at one point i started gathering all my poems and short stories in one manuscript – called it The Entradish Chronicles, by Mutant Entradish III. 80% of the poems i had then no longer exist, they weren’t worthy… just call me poem killer.

lot of native folk at the festival last night – plus an outstanding number of federal, state and city police. hundreds of police. all with truncheons, many with machine guns. they’re afraid the indigenous zapotecs will protest their loss of rights.

thursday we’re scheduled to go see the temple ruins in mitla, and after we’ll stop by to visit snowman’s zapotec friends in the village.