Datura: An Anthology of Esoteric Poesis

Datura is an elegant collection of esoteric poetry and essays. The lady of moth and moon unfurls her shy and deadly petals. These navigators of the midnight sea - occultists and poets and devotees seeking after that which seduces them - are familiar with the dream of intoxication that follows her scent. She is the woman in the song, the night-blooming narcotic, gorgeous and strange. she is the horned blossom, the guardian of the threshold, the keeper of madness. Datura comprises the work of 26 leading poets from the occult and pagan communities, and six essays on the agony and ecstasy of the creative process, and giving the history of occult poetry from ancient greece through to the modern day. From triadic rubaiyat to sestina, acrostic, lyric, free verse and praise hymn this is poetry in full flower. This collection includes recognised major poets, we are indebted in particular to Penelope Shuttle for her contribution and that of Peter Redgrove. Datura contains modern published poets alongside new undiscovered writers whose work shows them strong enough to keep such company. This is a literate and narcotic text which will inspire both ritual practice and further incursions into living poetry.