Darren Demaree

Emily As The Thread Snapped

If it's elemental, focused
existence, moving water

warming against us,
our thighs, the devouring

tide would slow in our jean
pockets, would pool there,

until the weight of that
accepted the gradient's wish

or we leaned into it, lost
our clothes, collected

each other, embraced
the physics of two bodies

in one river. In the right
stream, we would want

the bone of Ohio to shake
us into a depth where legs

have nothing to do with it.
We would be cast adrift,

never in need of a saving.

Emily As Between Us And The Light

I see the motion of truth
behind her dazzle, but simply

put, I care more for the show
than I do for any one answer.

There are philosophers
without bodies to star

between their eye and motivation
to shake loose the shimmer

of our scuffle. They will name
the ocean. I will define the surf

that reaches me, touches my toes.
I will show you Emily and the rest

of the things I saw moving,
pushed to be defined

by her context.
It will be limiting and tremendous.

Emily As We Follow The Shadow's Echo

I think of pleasure
first, the concept
it presents as a gift

occurring outside
of our mannered,
human chain. We

crane our necks
in the moment
passing. I can tell

you of the last time
I felt it leave me,
I can point it out

as a distance
far greater than any
current finding.

About Darren Demaree

Darren Demaree's poems have appeared, or are scheduled to appear in numerous magazines/journals, including the South Carolina Review, Meridian, The Louisville Review, Cottonwood, The Tribeca Poetry Review, and hiskey Island. Recently, Freshwater Poetry Journal and Blue Stem have each nominated him for a Pushcart Prize. His first full collection of poetry, tentatively entitled As We Refer To Our Bodies is forthcoming from 8th House Publishing House this fall. He is currently living and writing in Columbus, Ohio with his wife and daughter.