When the penny drops, I make my mark. I’m there for a moment, And then all is stark You watch me as I fade away. An impactful moment in time some might say.

I bite without teeth and numb what I touch; I fade into ripples when the Sun shines too much.

Schools and parents fear me. People use me to kill, but I am neither poison nor weapon. I am safe for the majority to consume, but fatal to a select few.

Who in the night can you hear Who in the night do littles fear Who in the night can still see Who in the night does not sleep

I am a plant, usually harmless and often used for decoration. Yet, if you are underneath me for too long, you won't tell the tale. What am I?