B is for Belladonna.....

A member of the Nightshade family of deadly plants that also, ironically, includes potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplants and tobacco. Every bit of the Belladonna plant is toxic, especially it's berries which have often been ingested by many an unwary forest traveler.

A favorite of witches and Medieval ladies, though not for the same reasons.

A powerful potion additive, Belladonna was an effective and fast-acting poison, one that is reported to cause vivid hallucinations and purported to cause its victim's heart to pound so loudly that it can be heard several
feet away.

In folklore, witches were believed to mix Belladonna with other poisonous plants, like Monkshood and Hemlock to brew a flying ointment, which, when applied, would help them fly to the gatherings of other witches. Though, as strong a hallucinogenic as this ointment was, where they actual "flew" would have been questionable.

For the vain and beauty-seeking lady of the Middle Ages, the juice of the Belladonna berry was prized for its pupil dilating abilities-- a highly coveted attribute during the time, so highly coveted that it contributed to the naming of the plant... Bella (beautiful) + Donna (lady)....

Belladonna Dreams

Taste not the devil cherries, child,

sip not the nightshade wine.

Hold tight when walking through the wild,

seek not the witches' design.

Strange visions ache to steal life's light,

to take your final breath.

Cursed with beauty's soft enchanted sight,

the tragic resplendent lain in death.

-- e.a.s. demers

A to Z reflections....

Another A to Z challenge comes to an end--- another collection of posts and poetry have been written, another deep breath of relief is released. For my fellow bloggers that survived as well, it's another 'challenge-completed' notch carved into the writing desk. I've come to enjoy my yearly foray into the world of all things alphabetical. This was my third year, though it was only the second year I had a workable theme (which made the challenge substantially easier than the first year I attempted this challenge.) And, though my first year was difficult because my focus was so scattered, I found this year was more difficult because I lost the enthusiasm that came with the first year excitement----excitement which helped me plug along until the end of the challenge. Year 3 was a success in the sense that I completed the challenge, though, this was the year that almost wasn't---- Somewhere about a third of the way through the challenge, I seriously considered

A million lives, beneath a single sky.....

Though our feet leave different prints,our tongues sound different words, there's a mirrored rhythm in the beating of our hearts. Though born in different worlds, our eyes sharpened 'neath different moons, there's an unspoken truth in the warmth of our touch. We may walk in different strides and dream different dreams, we may speak in different voices, maybe swim in different streams. It's plain to see, when dark night falls, as all the stars shine through, that underneath it all, there's no difference 'tween me and you.

Bitter Honey

Weaving dreams of beguiling gold, a future's price for happiness. What secrets do you, determined, hold? asks the summer wind's soft caress. A guarded name, a hidden hope. Spinning wheels clutching time, grasping straw that falls away, What dreams may come, we soon may find, won't recall at end of day. A cherished life, a memory lost.

From the Inkwell, From the Vein.....

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