over the dregs of lunch
in the hypocrite’s cafe
she purred of course
you have heard about the suicide
she dealt the details slowly:
Fine Hall
House Party Weekend
Californian
Class of ’80
someone I know knew her . . .
oh, a girl . . .
Princeton-defined
I wondered she did not
decry her clothes
later, journalists took care
of that — blue shirt/beige skirt
I wondered they could tell
with all the blood
and did you know
she left a note
police will not disclose
her murmurs eddied
til I felt a solitary jumper
loose in space/no foothold
and no second chance
Edelmann was the first member of the community accepted into Princeton University’s Creative Writing Program in the 1970s. An ardent preservationist, Carolyn serves as arts & education associate at D&R Greenway Land Trust. She also creates events and writes press releases for creative people in our region.
