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FEILE-FESTA
Spring 2014

Poetry

My Grandmother’s Sheets
- M. Bouvard
In My Sicilian Cart
- S. Buttaci
Irish Prayer
- N. Byrne
In the VA Hospital
- M. Candela
My Immigrant Grandpa’s Cottage
- A. Curran
Assurance
- F. Diamond
A Dream of Joe
- C. Dodds
He Never Shut Up
- L. Dolan
La Sicilia
- J. Going
A Kind of Sacrament
- T. Johnson
I’m Writing Brochures for Travel Companies
- M. Lisella
Grandmothers Speak
- P. McClelland
All the Way
- J. McKernan
Cahir Castle
- K. Mitchell-Garton
Return to New York
- T. Peipins
Memorabilia
- F. Polizzi
Lu Friscalettu/
The Reed Pipe

- N. Provenzano
At the Protestant Cemetery
- D. Pucciani
Evelyn McHale
- J. Raha
Gerry Summons Up The Past
- G. Sarnat
Doing Her Proud
- M. Trede
My Daughter Wears Her Evil Eye to School
- L. Wiley
Finbarr Enters the Poet’s Mind
- H. Youtt
Beyond the Animal Farm
- C. Yuan

Lisa Wiley


My Daughter Wears Her Evil Eye to School

It stares at me —
white dots on smooth cobalt,
a foreign ladybug.

She pulls back her silky hair
while I clasp the sterling silver chain,
dangling pearl-size mati.

We’re not Greek, Turkish or Lebanese —
yet Oma thought to bring my daughter
this charm from Tarpon Springs,

scenic shore of her sponge-dive trip.
I wonder why she removes it
from her white-shell box this morning.

Does it match her ruffled skirt
or does she crave extra protection?
Last time she sat next to Jordan,

she wrote Please change my seat
at the bottom of her spelling test.
Her voice gathers like a restless wind,

stronger than mine, making more
of her own choices every day.
Unassuming accessory or fierce shield,

my surrogate eye deflects
whatever weighs her down,
catches the light under her chin.