The Feast Of The Cactus Wine

John Hiatt / Roseanne Cash: One Step Over the Line

When the chief saw all this fighting, he decided that there would be no more wine feasts, so he carefully gathered up all the Giant Cactus seeds and gave them to a messenger to take far away. The people didn’t like this, so they sent Coyote after Messenger.

Coyote asked Messenger
to show him what
was in his hand.
Messenger said no,
but Coyote begged
for one little peek,
and finally,
after much coaxing,
Messenger gave in.
He opened his hand,
just the slightest bit.
As soon as he did,
Coyote struck his hand,
and the seeds of Hahshani
flew far into the air.
The wind was coming
from the north.
Wind caught Hahshani’s seeds
and carried them
up over the mountaintops,
scattering them on the south sides of the mountains.
And that is why, to this day,
Giant Cactus grows only on the south sides of the mountains.
And since then, every year,
the people have held the feast of the cactus wine.

--J.A. Jance
Hour Of The Hunter