A-Z of poisons

A is for arsenic – serve with old lace,
B is for botulin – shove in the face,
C is for cyanide – the connoisseur’s pick,
D is for daffodil – the bulb does the trick,
E is for elder – bark toxins linger,
F is for foxglove – show ’em the finger,
G is for ground ivy – the end’s automatic,
H is for hemlock – a finale Socratic,
I is for iris – pretend that it’s leek,
J is for jasmine – you won’t hear a peek,
K is for ketamine – could knock out a horse,
L’s for laburnum – slip the seed in a sauce,
M is for mercury – one drop is enough,
N is for nightshade – gone in a puff,
O’s for oleander – rub in a gash,
P’s for potato – chuck leaves in a mash,
Q is for quinine – can bring on edema,
R is for ricin – the clear market leader,
S is for strychnine – you won’t need a lot,
T is for thallium – they’ll visibly rot,
U’s for uranium – for a glow in the dark,
V’s for Viagra – poppered up with the lark,
W’s for wolfsbane – shred into a salad,
X is for x-ray – that old gamma ballad,
Y is for yew – a tree tried and tested,
Z is for zero – your entire family’s dead and you’ve just been arrested.