. from with an empathy so fatal

#57
          all those little pulses
          do not beat
          for war

#56
          we have done
          nothing
          to sew

         ourselves
         into the lining
         of this world

         when this
         world stands up
         we will be lost

#57
          if it’s all
          already in
          your mouth

          i’d encourage
          you to spit
          it out

          nobody ever
          remembers
          what is

          swallowed
          i will never
          let people

          forget that
          you put
          your hands

          in that which
          you spit up
          for us

          & lifted it
          as an offering
          of sorts

Darren C. Demaree is the author of eight poetry collections, most recently Two Towns Over (Trio House, 2018), which was selected as the winner of the Louise Bogan Award by Trio House Press. He is also the Managing Editor of the Best of the Net Anthology and Ovenbird Poetry.
NEXT
BACK