Hag Stone is the exciting new collection of poems from the brilliant and indomitable Fran Lock.
The hag stone – adder stone, ring stone, witch stone – is a folk charm made from a pebble with a natural hole in it. The stone is tied with red ribbon to bedposts to repel the evil eye. Or hung in stables as a bar against witches.
In Hag Stone, natural objects and scenes are similarly imbued with brooding shamanic power.
In a space of necromancy and lament, curses are cast, spirits summoned, and sacrifices offered.
Here, transformations occur: the stone itself might, at any given point, be whet stone, shew stone, hunger stone, woman. It might be anvil or altar. It might be a brick thrown through a window.
‘Fran Lock balances a vast vocabulary with a perfect ear for rhythm, a wicked sense of humour, and pathos that bites when you least expect it.’
Tristram Fane Saunders
Paperback
28 pages
ISBN: 9781915968104
