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Vol. III Fall/Winter 2008-2009 |
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Poetry written by Cheltenham Township Adult School Workshop Participants |
Home |
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Poems Linda Barrett Ruth Deming Jan Felgoise Marion Fox Angela Glover Maxine Hobbs Grace Lynch Marvin Thall
Edited by Kristine Grow For more information about Cheltenham Township Adult
School |
Marion Fox Marion Fox, a retired city planner, has written extensive articles for academic journals. She now writes short stories, memoir and poetry. She belongs to a writer's gorup that has met for more than 20 years, listening to and critiquing each other's work. She lives in Wyncote. The Year of the Lifeboat He and I are in a lifeboat. The ocean's rolling, we mustn't tip
over... Yet when he jumps to his feet,
The boat rocks side to
side When I change my seating,
Put my hand to the
water; The bow pitches
forward Dangerously low. Some days we struggle Against currents, brace against waves,
How we support each other!
He holds me tight, I hold
him. Some days we hold our own selves. . "Take my oar?" I ask. He doesn't hear.
"Row for me?" He extends his arm
I don't see. Once he said, "The boat must go my way We move as the spirit moves me.
Do we travel together? Or not?"
I remind him. "We don't know our destination.
Where we are headed It could be north, south, east, west."
"Maybe I'd prefer the cove or the
inlet Maybe you'd prefer the bay."
The boat turns round. Could storm be
brewing? "Look up, my sweet," he warns. "Dark skies.
Wet smell." He takes action. "Out of my way!
Grab the bucket, out the rainwater!
Notice what we accumulate here."
I protest his haste. "We can wait a while, my darling . Do we see rain
yet? Could be we're in total fog. "
Now for the nostalgia ...
When we lived on land, dry land,
We climbed tall mountains side by side
Drove fast on the
superhighway. Walked through cities,
Mapping glittering
destinations. Inside huge crowds, separated.
Met at the coffee bar later on.
Looking down at the floor boards.
The leaky ooze threatens a freezing end.
Still we evoke
possibilities Couldn't we choose a different way? No
oars? A motor boat? A
sunfish? We could sit still. Watch the minnows. Hum a
tune. It may be a matter of blue
waters And not too many
interruptions.
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"Storytelling reveals meaning without committing the error of defining it." Hannah Arendt
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| Editor's note: At this time, The Tookany Review is accepting only the work of writers who are enrolled or have been enrolled in Cheltenham Adult School writing workshops.
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