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The Snake on the Sidewalk (and other snakes as well)

Chico, a graffiti artist, recently graced the sidewalk with a rattlesnake. It’s such a friendly looking snake I don’t feel dread or danger walking over it. “Will it bite me?” is a question someone with a guilty conscience might ask. I’ve always liked snakes and yet have to admit their silence can make my heart jump when I see them. Out of nowhere. There they are. But snakes are good. They eat the vermin that really kill us. Mice cause a lot fires by chewing through electric wires. Snakes save human lives. When I was a kid one of the few fights I ever got in was defending a black snake about to be killed by other kids. Snakes are beautiful. Their patterns shimmer curling and gliding away from us with easy certainty although Chico’s culebra happily stays.

La Culebra at the bus stop by Chico La Culebra at the bus stop by Chico



The following three paintings with snakes in them are by Francisco Toldeo who has created a school for textiles and other indigenous arts in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Culebra y Pie by Francisco Toldeo Culebra y Pie by Francisco Toledo

Culebra Azul y Personaje by Francisco Toldeo Culebra Azul y Personaje by Francisco Toledo

Cinco Conejos by Francisco Toldeo Cinco Conejos by Francisco Toledo

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