Before What Happened Next - Kathy Faraone

Oil and cold wax on panel
24" x 24" x 2"
 
Failed Species Abortion
by Kaye Linden
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Barbed wire fog layers hide shredded fish aftermath of bubble- headed grenades explosive-ready tied with round filaments chicken hair horse feathers pleading eyes hopeful humans ensnared in-between twilight descent in- between worlds tendrils trap limbs knee-deep in bog grip wire cling to breath cleaved branches rain orange agent burnt lungs retch in-between purple napalm cloud folds overlay bedrock roiling mists spew slime plasma spinal shivers splinter fevers in-between death layers stop inhalation stop exhalation stop struggle scuffle hold vapor stop breath stop poisonous atmosphere stop remains pink haze noxious nebula
but earth remembers
in-between contractions
in-between cataclysms
when one fruitful human gravida labors easy in miasmic stench 
her fingernails claw into rock
newborn flesh wheezes primeval wet
crawls from fallen forests
digs under barbed fences
whimpering misshapen survivor
stands bent over
stumbles 
balances on twisted feet
reaches a tentacle towards the light