EMILY AS THE MYSTERY IN THE BASEMENT
The light requires a climbing.
I don’t always want the light.
Most of the time I want Emily.
EMILY AS THE SAME MISTAKE
I am a terrible alcoholic.
I don’t drink anymore,
but I always kiss Emily
& she is still drinking
when she can. I know
the whole of the map
of my sobriety. I set it
on fire by loving Emily
more than I love myself.
EMILY AS WHAT’S BENEATH THE ROOTS
I heard a bell. I named my daughter Belle.
I heard my father-in-law’s shame in the core
of my person, so I named my son after
my father-in-law. Emily, she is pregnant
again, so she is being very careful with what
she’s letting me read these days. My mother
says she owes me a steak dinner for getting
my tenth collection picked up. I think I’ll
change my name to meat. I’ll leave this
next child the pleasure of naming him/herself.
I don’t think I can handle much more
than loving this new world coming my way.
Darren C Demaree poems have appeared, or are scheduled to appear in numerous magazines/journals, including Diode, Meridian, New Letters, Diagram, and the Colorado Review.
He’s the author of six poetry collections, most recently “Many Full Hands Applauding Inelegantly” (2016, 8th House Publishing) and the Managing Editor of the Best of the Net Anthology and Ovenbird Poetry.
Currently living and writing in Columbus, Ohio with wife and children.
https://darrencdemaree.com
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