The Tookany Review Vol. II Fall/Winter 2006/2007
In this issue
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
Jan
Felgoise
Two poems
Ain't Nature Grand
The raucous rain
Stung the stubborn leaves
Into submission.
Forced to unhinge
And splattered during descent
They landed on
The motley colored
Refuse of past winds.
The Tree, now stripped
Of its variegated raiment
Felt the pelting on its trunk
Prick like dulled needle points.
No longer protected
By its canopy of leaves,
It wept
And shut down for winter.
The Grim Reaper Took a Pass
First, the deadly diagnosis: abnormality,
Then the first expert weighed in: "Wait."
I checked out another view
Only to hear the opposite: "Attack."
Undaunted, I dialed the tie-breaking third,
I, too, could join their unfriendly game
By measuring my own odds.
Onward to the test procedure.
How very easy compared
To the terrifying time lapse
Imposed to pursue the discovery.
So, pretending to inhale all traces of fear
I held onto my breath for dear life,
Always the good sport.
Finally, the day to reveal the raw score.
Reacting like a lamb being led to the slaughter
I shivered with dreaded resignation.
When I heard the redemptive words: all clear
The trapped demons bleated out of my mouth,
And I wrested back all control
In that magic instant.
Janet Goleman Felgoise
raised her family
in Huntingdon Valley and has been a resident of Abington since 1988. Her
first career was teaching Social Studies and English in the Cheltenham
School District. Currently she is an attorney,
specializing in Family Law. Her great passion is working as a mediator,
promoting this alternative dispute resolution to litigation.