Transborder Immigrant Tool Series: In Life-or-Death Matters, Taste Is Relative, Testing Is Crucial
The sixth poem in "The Desert Survival Series / La serie de sobrevivencia del desierto" tells us that while taste—like poetry—may seem irrelevant as one risks one's life crossing the US- Mexico border, it can be a means of survival The sixth poem in "The Desert Survival Series / La serie de sobrevivencia del desierto" tells us that while taste—like poetry—may seem irrelevant as one risks one's life crossing the U- Mexico border, it can be used as a means of survival .
The sixth poem in "The Desert Survival Series" recommends testing cactuses to make sure they're edible. ( AHLN / CC BY 2.0)
The Transborder Immigrant Tool is a GPS cellphone safety-net tool for crossing the Mexico-U.S. border. It was developed by Electronic Disturbance Theater/b.a.n.g. lab in 2007 by artists Micha Cárdenas, Amy Sara Carroll, Ricardo Dominguez, Elle Mehrmand and Brett Stalbaum, in conjunction with CALIT2/Visual Arts Department/University of California, San Diego/Program in American Culture, Latina/o Studies/English Department/University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Poet Amy Sara Carroll wrote a series of 24 poems, titled “The Desert Survival Series / La serie de sobrevivencia del desierto,” which were uploaded onto cellphones equipped with simple compasses and interfaces. Each poem is a form of lyrical advice that provides readers and listeners with tools for every hour of a day spent in the pernicious borderlands between the U.S. and Mexico. Truthdig is publishing each of these poems in both Spanish and English in our Poetry section, accompanied with bilingual audio recordings by various contributors to the project. To read the first, second, third, fourth and fifth poems in the series, click on the hyperlinks. For more information on the project, watch the video presentation below.
The sixth poem in “The Desert Survival Series/La serie de sobrevivencia del desierto,” read in English and Spanish by Larry La Fountain-Stokes.
6.
In matters of life or death, most would contend, “Taste is relative.” (Such is the fate of poetry as artifice, art or sustenance—a non-issue if one cannot drink, eat or breathe, even if “poetry is not a luxury.”) Still, the taste of cacti presents a particularly thorny conundrum. Not yet mezcal or tequila, many cacti hold moisture, but also harbor toxins. Again, the baseline rule: Only take the risk of eating or drinking cacti if the alternative is dying of thirst. Test, test, test. The fishhook barrel is perhaps your best bet, but make sure you can identify it positively before ingesting its contents. If you’re not sure you’ve found the right plant, put a small portion of its pulp in your mouth; taste it before you swallow its sap. Expect the flavor of super-saturated vegetables. Spit out anything that is acrid, bitter or so unsavory that it makes you feel as if you will choke uncontrollably or vomit. Wait approximately 30 minutes to gauge your body’s tolerance of this experiment—better to stay thirsty within arm’s reach of noxious saguaro than poison yourself or speed up your stages of dehydration. ¡Animo! A landscape that sustains the saguaro is equally amenable to the fishhook barrel.
En cuestiones de vida o muerte, podrÃan casi todos afirmar, “el gusto es relativo.” (Tal es el destino de la poesia como artificio, arte o sustento–una no-cuestión si no se puede beber, comer o respirar, aun si “la poesia no es un lujo”.) Sin embargo, el sabor de los cactus presenta un dilema particularmente espinoso. Aun no mezcal o tequila, muchos cactus retienen humedad, pero también toxinas. De nuevo, la norma basica: solo tome el riesgo de comer o beber cactus si la alternativa es morir de sed. Pruebe, pruebe, pruebe. El barril de anzuelo es quizás su mejor opción, pero asegúrese de que pueda identificarlo antes de ingerir su contenido. Si no esta segur@ de que ha encontrado la planta correcta, ponga una pequeña porción de la pulpa en su boca, pruébelo antes de tragar su savia. El sabor debe parecerse al de vegetales super-saturados. Escupa todo lo que sea acre, amargo o tan desagradable que provoque ahogo sin control o vomito. Espere aproximadamente treinta minutos para medir la tolerancia de su cuerpo a este experimento–es mejor quedarse sedient@ cerca del nocivo saguaro que envenenarse o acelerar las etapas de la deshidratación. !Ãnimo! Un paisaje que sustenta al saguaro es igualmente favorable para el barril de anzuelo.
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The 12th poem in "The Desert Survival Series / La serie de sobrevivencia del desierto" warns those crossing the U.S.-Mexico border that though a sting by an Arizona bark scorpion is, for the most part, not lethal, it requires medical attention.
The 11th poem in "The Desert Survival Series / La serie de sobrevivencia del desierto" urges those crossing the border to phone for help immediately in life-and-death situations.
The 10th poem in "The Desert Survival Series / La serie de sobrevivencia del desierto" debunks certain myths about the hairy arachnids, while explaining what will certainly occur to those who taunt the tarantula.
The ninth poem in "The Desert Survival Series / La serie de sobrevivencia del desierto" explains that Africanized bees, even when unprovoked, will attack humans.
The eighth poem in "The Desert Survival Series / La serie de sobrevivencia del desierto" provides crucial tips the desert traveler can use as the sand turns to "sandpaper" and the heat suffocates during a journey across the Mexico-US border The eighth poem in "The Desert Survival Series / La serie de sobrevivencia del desierto" provides crucial tips the desert traveler can use as the sand turns to "sandpaper" and the heat suffocates a journey across the Mexico-U .
The seventh poem in "The Desert Survival Series / La serie de sobrevivencia del desierto" explains how clusters of cottonwood trees indicate a nearby spring, a crucial tip to surviving the desert border crossing between Mexico and the United States.
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