MY FIRST NOVEL, PAGE ONE

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MY FIRST NOVEL, PAGE ONE 
by J. A. Emanuel

SHOWDOWN IN TURKEYTOWN, I named it, 
absurd, cornmealish as the subtitle,
"Americana Digged Out"; 
wrote faster, stationed experts on the firing-line 
I had imagined on seeing them real on TV, 
tough-minded on armament every one at the table, 
potbellied, bemedalled, straight-backed for the conference, 
trading gun-barrel reflections.

Up against Leatherstocking, 
would they shine 
in a turkey-shoot?  

Tumbled by my eye, they landed on page one, 
on Natty Bumppo's prairie turf, 
the parchment target raised high by an old Indian, 
their signal to fire inaudible in the fusillade. 
The target tender spaced his tribal intonation well: 
"No. more. room in. bull's. eye."

Musketry and smoke and expertise 
powwowed for one second, 
joined by stealthy movements from the trees; 
then bullets, arrows, spears, 
knives, darts, a tomahawk or two,  
slingshot pebbles, spitballs--
all thukked or fit or splut 
with deadeye certainty.

Everything in range, fair game, 
gave up its target-tidbit, 
pierced and cut and chopped end knobbed, 
raw to the fact that experts had arrived.

Nothing fleshed out, in Turkeytown, 
after page one.

Full description

Poem written by Emanuel based on the Leatherstocking Tales.

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  • type
    Image
  • created on
  • file format
    jpg
  • file size
    342 kB
  • container title
    James A. Emanuel Papers
  • creator
    James A. Emanuel
  • issue
    BOX 5 FOLDER 5, Deadly James, draft A, 1981-1990 (2 of 2)
  • rights
    James A. Emanuel Estate
  • rights holder
    James A. Emanuel Estate