The Tookany Review Vol. II Fall/Winter 2006/2007
In this issue
Marvin Thall
Edited by Deborah
Fries
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.
For more information
about
writing workshops offered by
the Cheltenham Township Adult School, contact:
Cheltenham Township Adult
School
1414 Panther Road
Wyncote, PA 19095
Phone: 215-887-1720
Claudia Beechman
One poem
The Bandleader
in memory of
Harriet Fay
Years ago, you hiked thirty-two blocks
in bright red Keds to catch my gig--
Talked real straight the way you always did:
You said, “That velvet suit on your piano man
has got to go!”
Some thought you one tough lady
Barking out orders to your sidemen and more;
But you were an anomaly,
A yellow-maned Valkyrie in male territory
Taking calls from millionaires
Who often balked at a musician’s fee.
I was so proud to walk with you
One summer night, your towering height
Your stride so swift and strong
Along South Street. There,
In a bijou of a boutique, you lent
me money to buy stage jewelry.
Sometimes, you’d call when you
needed a chanteuse;
Someone to sing “La Vie en Rose”
and wear black silk.
Once, you rang me the next day,
to say “it was right on the money”--
The words resounded in my head.
You said you and your band
grieved for my sister,
A singer who like you, despite her fight
Was taken much too soon, so many notes
unplayed, unsung--
Then, you, your band grieved mightily for her
As I now grieve for you, stand-up bandleader.
Claudia Beechman
is a Philadelphia native who taught French and Spanish for 25 years and has performed
in high schools, universities, museums and cabarets, including Lincoln
Center. Claudia is also an essayist and lyricist whose work has
appeared in Bucks County Writer Magazine, NewMystics.com, The
Philadelphia Inquirer and The Charlotte Observer. Her music has
been aired on WXPN’s Sleepy Hollow. She lives in Glenside with her husband,
Barry Cohen.