Petroglyphs, Craig Foltz, Compound Press, 2024

Petroglyph
 
Our hands are stapled together & large wooden spikes have been driven through our feet. We wriggle at the prospect of unseen predators. Despite these somewhat uncomfortable conditions there is abundant food & a clean supply of water. There is no shortage of creative inputs.
Even to a corpse, the water in winter is cold. Our bodies are treated like ice floes & pitched over the side of a rusty trawler. This is how they treat dissidents these days, so most of us have abandoned our subversive activities.
Years later, when I resurface for a gulp of air, I find the world has become encrusted in a spiky vegetal material that slices those who would touch it into thin ribbons. Here comes the moon; drawn back & forth across this unforgiving surface by its yearning to touch the ocean, until there is nothing of it left.

The readings

‘Petroglyph – 2’

‘Petroglyph – 3’

Craig Foltz is the author of four full length books of poetry/prose (which have been published in some order by either Compound Press or Ugly Duckling Presse). In addition, his work has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. He currently lives and works in New Plymouth. For more info and collaborative proposals see here.

Compound Press page