Darren C. Demaree


EMILY AS WE ABANDON THE MYTHOLOGY OF EMILY

Wringing, wringing, wringing,
Emily folds her own flesh
in each of her hands

& wherever she goes, her flesh
goes with her
& that captivating

strangeness is powerful
art to me, but really it’s just
what every woman does

& really, Emily is common
enough to entice me
to reach for her imagery.



EMILY AS WE LOST THE WILLOW’S SHADE

I stripped
the creekbed banks
of any casual witnesses

& that gave the sun
an opportunity to leave
handprints

all over my ass.
I wanted to challenge
the sun that way.




Darren C. Demaree is the author of five poetry collections, most recently The Nineteen Steps Between Us (2016, After the Pause). He is the Managing Editor of the Best of the Net anthologies and Ovenbird Poetry, and is currently living and writing in Columbus, Ohio with his wife and children.
 
 
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