Darren C. Demaree

FIREWORK OVER THE RETENTION POND #8

Reunion with the earth,

faces dragged by lifted ankles,
the thugs that parade in laps
around the water, like sentry,

drunk on shoulders, drunk
on unlabeled whiskies,
their own faces flush with the spin
of no revolution. We grew beards

to catch flowers, to be productive
in our own abuse of the green.

Darren C. Demaree is living in Columbus, OH with his wife and daughter. His poems have appeared in numerous magazines and journals, including the South Carolina Review, Meridian, The Tribeca Review, and Whiskey Island. He is the recipient of two Pushcart Prize nominations.