The Day Ani Passed Away
Bart Edelman
Sunny, but not hot.
Pleasant, some may say.
Wisp of wind from the west,
Called the departed home;
Whip-poor-will’s sad song,
Unsung for the most part.
We said our goodbyes,
As briefly as possible—
Loved her, best we could,
While she was still alive.
Took the few mementos
She asked us to possess—
Kindness ever present,
Spirit left behind.
About the Poet
Bart Edelman’s poetry collections include Crossing the Hackensack (Prometheus Press), Under Damaris’ Dress (Lightning Publications), The Alphabet of Love (Red Hen Press), The Gentle Man (Red Hen Press), The Last Mojito (Red Hen Press), The Geographer’s Wife (Red Hen Press), Whistling to Trick the Wind (Meadowlark Press), and This Body Is Never at Rest: New and Selected Poems 1993 – 2023 (Meadowlark Press). Most recently, he has taught in the MFA program at Antioch University, Los Angeles. His work has been anthologized in textbooks published by City Lights Books, Longman, McGraw-Hill, Prentice Hall, the University of Iowa Press, Wadsworth, and others.