[wholeness isn't really health]
by Darren C. Demaree
wholeness isn’t really health
i was born with two hands
with five fingers on each
but each one wanted something
more than i was holding
they were greed dedication
& my garden suffered
for it i lost four fingers
now wholeness isn’t really
[a raspberry cannot lie in my]
by Darren C. Demaree
a raspberry cannot lie in my
mouth without the slight
fuzz seducing my tongue
into a violent spin into my
teeth i feel no shame i
never feel shame
the world is red enough
that i see the real problem
is only ever my mouth
About the Author
Darren C. Demaree is the author of sixteen poetry collections, most recently “a child walks in the dark,” (Harbor Editions, November 2021). He is the recipient of a 2018 Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award, the Louise 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 the Managing Editor of Ovenbird Poetry. He is currently living in Columbus, Ohio with his wife and children.