Emily as a Tré Burt Song

I drew a portrait of Emily
in water I was not holding.
It seemed like enough for her. 

It was not enough for her.
I carved her likeness in the ice
of a landmass that was headed 

south. That made her cry.
I made soup for her when she
was not hungry. From the couch,

she said it smelled delicious,
but she never ate any of it. I am
nothing in the context of time,

& Emily is nothing in the con-
text of time. I’ve never cared
about time. It’s not Emily.

ξ

Darren C. Demaree is the author of fourteen poetry collections, most recently Unfinished Murder Ballads (October 2020, Backlash Press). He is the recipient of a 2018 Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award, the Louis Bogan Award from Trio House Press, and the Nancy Dew Taylor Award from Emrys Journal. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Best of the Net Anthology and Managing Editor of Ovenbird Poetry. He is currently living in Columbus, Ohio with his wife and children.