oxalic a

---

early
this morning
I pinch
off
a clump
of common
wood sorrel
and
add it
to my paltry
breakfast
bowl

---

my dog-eared
wild-plants
paperback
tells me
of
oxalic acid,
a potent
poison
contained
therein

---

on an empty
stomach
I
ate grubby
handfuls
of it
downriver
on grandpa's
oregon
farm
as a mere
child,
an innocent---

---

which
may explain
why
I am less
alive
now
than I might
otherwise
be

---------

courtesy of wikipedia: oxalic acid and oxalates are abundantly present in many plants, most notably fat hen (lamb's quarters), [common wood] sorrel, and Oxalis species. the root and/or leaves of rhubarb...are listed being high in oxalic acid
---
courtesy of online classic encyclopedia: [oxalic acid] is found in the form of its acid potassiumsalt in many plants, especially in wood-sorrel