The
Tookany Review
Vol. IV
Winter 2008
Poetry written by Cheltenham Township Adult School Workshop Participants
Cheltenham, PA
In this issue
Edited by Deborah Fries
cover image by
E. Twan Crawford
Boris Putterman
One poem
Untitled
A long time ago
I learned to play the ancient game of
"the Closed Heart"
And gradually, I mastered its intricacies.
By grievance, reason, and bile,
I would maneuver the opponent to defeat.
I locked him away in my dark chamber-
From which he could never escape.
But recently I have discovered the game of
"The Open Heart"
A play as timeless as the other,
far simpler, yet much more difficult and mysterious.
The object of this game
Is to pry open the chamber's door, and empty it- forever.
The game is played only by tender moves.
"You must lose to win!", its masters say.
All previous strategies are useless to me now
Even at this age, I am but a bare beginner-
a wobbly toddler, taking a hesitant step
On a soft little foot.
Boris Putterman is a painter, and a faculty member of The University of The Arts in Philadelphia. He is a long time resident of Elkins Park.
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