A.E. Stallings, Extinction, Laserpicium

ancient silver coin from Cyrene
depicting a stalk of Silphium
(source: artifacts)
no copyright infringement intended

Quam magnus numerus Libyssae harenae

lasarpiciferis iacet Cyrenis

—Catullus 7

Consider silphium, extinguished flower,

Kin to the wild carrot, Queen Anne’s lace,

Fennel and dill, and rooted now no place

On earth, that once was worth an empress’ dower,

A Caesar’s ransom. Silphium was power

Stored in Rome’s coffers, stamped upon the face

Of silver tet

radrachms, a thing to base

The wealth of nations on. Now past its hour,

Stamped out, its numbers harvested to zero,

What properties, what cures were in an ounce

Are lost to us—mere footnote to the pleasure

Out of a poem—“kisses without measure.”

The last stalk ever found, Pliny recounts,

Presented as a rarity to Nero.

(Poetry Daily)

(A. E. Stallings)