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(Lightning Publications, 1996, 64pp. ISBN: 0-9632702-6-5))
 
Under Damaris’ Dress
The Cable
Daytona Jones
Planets
Quilted Fish
Earthquake/Los Angeles
In the Name of Love
Black Cadillac
Now That She Has Gone
Quail
Courtship
Cancer
If It Is
The Slow Fast
Pastel
Eclipse
Alteration
The Midnight Sun
The Man I Am
Two Hands
The Coffin Addict
Roses
Weeping Willow
Exhaust
Painting in Your Underwear
Heartland
Seeds
Kindling
Surrender
The House of Ruth
Black Dog
Barons in the Trees
Brother
The Map
Bees
English 101
The Eleventh Commandment
Dead Chicken
The Kiss of Life
Scavenger
The Open Window
The Anniversary
The Fall
When You’re Away
Why Now?
The Correspondence of Love
The Secret Art
200 Kisses
SAMPLE POEMS
Under Damaris’ Dress
200 Kisses
Courtship
The poems in Under Damaris’ Dress were composed from 1993 to 1996. The idea for the book’s title actually came from an earlier poem, “Under Damaris’ Umbrella,” which sat for nearly a year in a desk drawer—unfinished, unfulfilled, and unworthy. How the umbrella became a dress is a constant source of amusement to me, but, simply put, it did what I wished—allowed the poem to take on more significance and, thematically, reveal how many of us are fortunate enough to gain our early education—romantic or not—through the gift, in this case, that a lover bestows upon us. It is this prize which dictates the direction our feelings ultimately take throughout our lives. Gentle hands, caring touches and the sheer tenderness of redemption ensure a journey that recognizes hope when we are able to give ourselves freely to others.
The desire for companionship is so much a part of Under Damaris’ Dress. Whether that need travels by automobile (“Black Cadillac”), letter (“The Correspondence of Love”), or speedway (“Daytona Jones”), the reader can see, hear, and touch how each of us demands and requires the various symbols that offer us communication and meaning to construct a world around us that may make sense when chaos often rules our days. If we can recognize the tumult our actions and those of others cause, we don’t feel as though we are the only creatures whose contentment chronically rattles us, despite our supposed capacity to love. And to this end, there is always the question regarding who we choose to love (“Courtship”) and if that is truly a choice, at all, considering the past and the lessons initially learned.
Under Damaris’ Dress asks the reader to examine the daily clothing we select to wear and share with the few we deem worthy to see us for ourselves. To crawl under the dress is to lift up a curtain we’ve been taught to close, revealing a secret that has long been kept. Yet by doing so we almost automatically embrace the power of intimacy that can break us or make us as complete as possible. By witnessing these acts of kindness on our inaugural trip to maturity, the rest of the journey can only be that much easier to endure in an uncertain world—often void of the charity it desperately needs.
  
“Edelman manages to catch our darkest fantasies and secrets and grudging
loves with grace and wit. His poetry also honors love and the erotic… a very
promising poet.”
—Stephen Minot, Three Genres
“Bart Edelman’s poetry is true art. These beautiful knowing poems are about
loneliness, love and isolation, poems which have at their center a stillness as well
as a strong presence.”
—Cheri Davis Langdell, W S Merwin
“Edelman’s poetry shows an artist at work. Always in control of his craft, Edelman
lets the humor, the fear, and the humanity involved in any person’s life shine
through… His poetry is touching, poignant, metaphoric and breathtaking.”
—Mike Cluff, Inside English
“Edelman’s work delves into the wonderment of childhood and the uncertainty
of aging.”
—Rick Holguin, Los Angeles Times
“Edelman’s poetry rings with clarity, exactness and honesty… Edelman curls himself
underneath other people’s skins, where he is able to speak from their experiences
and understand their feelings and truths… Edelman guides his readers to his places,
shows them images and confides in them.”
—Angela Phipps, Glendale News-Press
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