I am bane to the blighted, a true mandrake,
an elemental, homeopathic hex
tethered to earth by the human shape
of my stemless roots crowned with leaf rosettes.
I’m a narcotic ingredient of the soporific sponge,
weird sister of henbane, opium and hemlock.
When my root has taken, it cannot be expunged
from the tear-soaked ground beneath the gallows drop.
I’m a visible scream from the depths of your dreams,
a silent echo in the hollows of my flower bells.
When the year sags with darkness at its seams,
the power of my magic can drive you to hell.
Kim M. Russell, 2018
My response to dVerse Poets Pub Poetics with poisonous plants
Today Björn is hosting Poetics; he says that he sees poetic beauty in such lethal names as nightshade, belladonna, wolfsbane, foxglove and hemlock, which is why he wants us to use the names of poisonous plants in our poetry. The list is long, and plants often have many different names. All we have to do is include at least one poisonous plant to brew potions, stew roots and bring poison to the bar. We can also write about the beauty or the good in these plants., or use the flower and its poison as a metaphor. As inspiration, Björn has shared a poem by Charles Baudelaire from Flowers of Evil (Fleurs du mal).
What’s your poison?
writing in north norfolk 
What a recipe… I wonder of the effects, and love how you have used them so descriptive part: especially:
I’m a narcotic ingredient of the soporific sponge,
weird sister of henbane, opium and hemlock.
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Ooh, freaky. I love, “a silent echo in the hollows of my flower bells.” As silent echoes must be most perilous of all.
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I especially like these:
“weird sister of henbane”
“expunged
from the tear-soaked ground beneath the gallows drop”
“I’m a visible scream”
“When the year sags with darkness”
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This poem makes me think of the witches scene in Macbeth. Love it!
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That makes me very happy, Jane!
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🙂
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Firstly this piece has great rhythm and like the definitive ‘I’ at the start of each stanza which underlines the growing force of the poem. My fav line ‘I’m a visible scream …’ Great take on the prompt.
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Thank you kindly, Paul 🙂
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Ah, you are all so clever. I am but a dinosaur among Jedis!
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But you write from the heart, Bev!
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I love the rhythm and flow of this. I didn’t think of the witches in Macbeth, like Jane, I thought more of the woman accused of witchcraft.
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Thank you, Merril. I had that woman in my mind as I wrote the poem.
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WOW, Kim. This is fantastic. The visual you found is just killer, and your rhyme and rhythm are dead on (pun intended.)
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Thank you, De! Keep on punning!
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Oh wow! Such Dark-Beautiful Grooviness.. 😎🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀
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Thank you, Dorna!
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Brilliant take on the prompt, Kim..my best bit -“I’m a visible scream from the depths of your dreams”
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Cheers Viv!
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🙂
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May just have trouble sleeping tonight
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can I interest you in a sleeping potion? 🙂
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Completely spellbinding. Very nicely done.
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Thanks Misky!
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So much dark fun in this poem- I love the downward force of that last line, I felt like death metal music was going to start blasting from thunderclouds.
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🙂
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A wonderful brew – your last verse especially
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Thank you, Jae.
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I like t h e title and the poem comes together well. Don’t think I’d stay for dinner though
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Thanks Walter!
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The silent scream will send you over the edge for sure! great job!
Dwight
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Thank you, Dwight!
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kaykuala
A bane to mankind but still a blessing to have been made available for its medicinal properties!
Hank
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So vivid and haunting!
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Thank you, Mary!
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Wickedly good writing!
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Thank you, Lynn!
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There is much poetic beauty in this Kim. I knew of mandrakes but had never seen them and I don’t remember knowing of their toxicity. I want to learn more about them.
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Thank you, Victoria. When I was a child and read about them, I thought they were made up. But they are very real!
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oh, this is the stuff of nightmares!
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I’m glad you are suitable chilled!
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perennial scream! and your poem lived up to its title Kim! my fave line “I’m a visible scream from the depths of your dreams,” you have magnificently made plants very sinister, and I feel the come alive with such vengeance. a very scary good read.
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Thank you, Gina!
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