Poisons and Medicines
During rituals of divination,
Mayan sorcerers and healers
induced risky hallucinations
with Brugmansia candida,
angel’s trumpet. The poison…
Anne Whitehouse’s (she/her) most recent poetry collection is OUTSIDE FROM THE INSIDE (Dos Madres Press, 2020), and her most recent chapbook is FRIDA (Ethel Zine and Micro Press, 2023). She is the author of a novel, FALL LOVE. Her poem, “Lady Bird,” won the Nathan Perry DAR 2023 “Honoring American History” poetry contest. A new poetry collection, STEADY, is forthcoming from Dos Madres Press in 2023.
During rituals of divination,
Mayan sorcerers and healers
induced risky hallucinations
with Brugmansia candida,
angel’s trumpet. The poison…
From wax, Leonardo
formed a doughy mass,
and when it softened,
he shaped it into
delicate animals
filled with air…