Emily as the Ankle Is the Opera

What we attach
to the meaning
of where a woman’s leg rises

is dangerous enough
to become a great
& complex song.

It’s a feast of an idea,
but if you linger there
& the weight shifts

away from you, your toes
will never be able
to find the momentum

to follow them anywhere.
You know what, don’t
be a creep. Beg the silence

to rock them towards you.
It’s as good as anything
to pray about, I suppose.

  

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Darren C. Demaree is the author of As We Refer to Our Bodies (8th House, 2013), Temporary Champions (Main Street Rag, 2014), The Pony Governor (2015, After the Pause Press) and Not For Art Nor Prayer (8th House, 2015). He is the Managing Editor of the Best of the Net Anthology. He is currently living in Columbus, Ohio with his wife and children.