An Arrangement of Poison

The vines weaved its way through the ivory walls

Photo by Pavel Neznanov on Unsplash

The vines weaved through the walls

a lifetime of stories in its depths,

whispering a litany of poison into the

hearts of the students that went there

for those who loved plants

or had the gift of a green

thumb,

they could discern that those

vines were made of

the many poisonous plants

of White Oleander,

fox glove and wisteria

weaved into the vines themselves,

deep in the gardens where none

could see

was plants of deadly nightshade,

wolfsbane,

and the bells of the

Angels trumpet.

These plants guarded the students

and teachers alike

from the unworthy,

the selfish and

jealous eyes of the people

who came into this academy

looking to cause trouble to its

walls.