F.R. Foksal: A Slice of Surreality

a shortcut 
you used to take,
located somewhere 
between a fatigued 
façade and a bench

bare; a cozy little square
where local drunks would
congregate to damn 
the vicissitudes 
of their tipsy

fate; a hole in the fence 
through which you peeked
under the lining 
of the world till then
impenetrable and

still; a hunchbacked tree 
from under the cover 
of whose leaves 
it took you 
all your childhood

to flee; a tank’s caterpillar 
tread on your doorstep;
in life, the only one 
that would never yield 
a butterfly

Copyright 2022 F.R. Foksal

F.R. Foksal is the founder and editor of The Nonconformist, an English language literary magazine published in Poland.