Searching for God

(Or Some Reasonable Facsimile)

by Bart Edelman

Summon a new truth—
Anyway you see it.
Purchase a witness from the bank.
Pay whatever she demands;
After all, this is serious business,
And don’t you dare forget it.
When you smell a hint of desire,
Tread closer, old boy,
Despite the unfamiliar air,
Challenging your every step.
Now, here’s where it gets tricky.
Disregard the thunderous voice,
From above, I’m guessing,
Issuing one command after another.
Believe me, it’s a ploy.
Finally, close your eyes,
Lest you succumb to visions,
Unless they’re mere temptations.
Then utter a dozen Hail Mary’s,
Beating it back home directly.
And should your witness remain—
By a mere hint of grace—
Offer her the life you saved.

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Bart Edelman

Bart Edelman’s poetry collections include Crossing the Hackensack, Under Damaris’ Dress, The Alphabet of Love, The Gentle Man, The Last Mojito, The Geographer’s Wife, Whistling to Trick the Wind, and This Body Is Never at Rest: New and Selected Poems 1993 – 2023. He has taught at Glendale College, where he edited Eclipse, a literary journal, and, most recently, in the MFA program at Antioch University, Los Angeles. His work has been anthologized in textbooks published by City Lights Books, Etruscan Press, Harcourt Brace, Longman, McGraw-Hill, Prentice Hall, the University of Iowa Press, Wadsworth, and others. He lives in Pasadena, California.