Ah, belladonna,
how formidable art thee.
Thine power used since Roman times.
Claudius and Augustus, dead,
wifely potions lethal with thee.
Medieval women
placed drops of thee in their eyes.
Became alluring with wide-eyed innocence,
capturing a gentleman caller’s proposal
curtailing his gigolo lust.
It’s Quadrille Monday at dVerse, the virtual pub for poets around the globe. Today Kim asks us to use the word “bell” or a form of the word, in our poem of exactly 44 words, sans title. Image from pixabay.com
Belladonna is a potent plant. Reserach tells us in Roman times, it did indeed kill Emperors Claudius and Augustus when placed in a potion made by their wives. It is said that Macbeth of Scotland used it to poison the liquor supply of invading troops from England. In medieval times, drops of belladonna were used by women for cosmetic purposes: to widen their eyes to make them seem more alluring. Today, belladonna is used by many opthamologists to dilate pupils for examination.
lillian the home poet 
Wonderful poem, and fascinating information!
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Interesting!!!
Much❤love
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Artfully done! Your information opened many eyes. {Take a bow}
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placed drops of thee in their eyes.
Became alluring with wide-eyed innocence,
They do that, Lillian! Wonder if it still works now. Perhaps there are other similar attractions nowadays.
Hank
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I like your use of the prompt in this poem. Nicely done.
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I have a story about Belladonna and this reminded me of it. I love this unique take.
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I love the way you include history, botany, science and medicine, all tightly packed into your quadrille, Lill! Belladonna is an interesting plant. I remember reading about it being used by women to widen their eyes to make them seem more alluring. Having had so many drops to dilate my eyes for my annual diabetic eye screening and my fairly recent cataract surgery, I’m now quite familiar with the beautiful lady plant.
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I love the history and references in this one, Lillian. Such a unique take on the prompt!
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Interesting… once a teacher, always a teacher ❤
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I only thought of belladonna as a poison, had no idea it had an apothecary use. Thanks!
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Oh, and very clever use of the prompt.
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I like how you showed plants as medicinal or lethal depending on one’s intent.
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What a great use of the prompt to talk about such poisonous nightshade…
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Very interesting facts! I like where you went with this poem!
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Even the most poisonous plants have some usefullness, I think..
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Love your take, Lillian! History in verse is always so interesting.
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