-The Sweet Kiss of My Sacred Datura-

The fairer sex, they often call it,
But her love is as unfair as a crook.
It steals all my reason,
Commits every treason,
Of logic, with naught but a look.

She is my delusion raging on every horizon,
Of longing and heartache and lust.
She's always bad news,
It's always lose, lose.
So tell me love, tell me love, how is that just?

Her nightly bloom is pulling me closer,
And charging the hot, humid night.
The red sky at dawn is giving a warning,
You fool!
Better stay out of sight!

I'm weak my love, and I am wanting.
If this is the path I must trudge,
I welcome my sentence,
Give to you my penance...
Poisoner, jury and judge.

And so the story ends with this,
Everyday I did wake,
She destroyed me with her sweet kiss,
Leaving only more longing,
And much more heartache.” ~ Jack Mountain

"The flower to me is the pure poetry of reproduction; an example of the eternal seductiveness of life. While each allures its poetic charms upon me in different ways, there is perhaps none more potently teasing as the sweet morning kiss of the Sacred Datura. It's textured and supple beauty, with curling and tint-toned edges moist in morning dew, represents the toxic seductions I’ve known in life -- and yet I'll never be able to venture by one without fondly turning back one more time." ~ Jack Mountain

Sacred Datura, captured along the river bank of the Colorado River, while rafting through the Grand Canyon. Sacred Datura (Datura wrightii) is a large, sprawling, native perennial that grows throughout the Verde Valley (and across Arizona between 1,000 and 7,000 feet elevation). It is a member of the family Solanaceae making it a relative of the tomato, potato, and eggplant. Other common names include: Jimson weed, thorn apple, Indian apple, moon lily, moon flower, angel's trumpet, and tolguacha. In the wild, sacred datura is found on well-drained, sandy soils in arroyos, washes, on roadsides, and other areas that have periodic disturbance. It is often considered a weed. However, it can easily be incorporated into a drought tolerant landscape with great effect.

When considering its use in the landscape, remember that all parts of the plant are deadly poison. In practicality, sacred datura is not often accidentally consumed by humans or animals. All plant parts (except the flowers) have a very repellent smell and are extremely bitter. This makes deliberate ingestion very unlikely, even by small children. Deliberate consumption is most often linked to adolescents looking for a mind-altering experience. Sadly, death can be the result. Those that survive often have permanently damaged lungs, stomach, intestines, kidneys, and/or heart. This may also be accompanied by mental impairment. These side effects are a high price to pay for a fleeting psychedelic experience.