Issue 47.1

Emily as Still Life

by Darren Damaree

I鈥檓 here. She was here,
too. Mostly, I stare

at where she鈥檚 been
just in case she returns.

I don鈥檛 get sad anymore.
How blessed am I

to see her absence?

About the Author

Darren C. Demaree is the author of twenty-four poetry collections, most recently 鈥淣ow Flourish Northern Cardinal鈥, (Small Harbor Publishing, November 2025). He is the recipient of a Greater Columbus Arts Council Grant, an 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 currently working in the Columbus Metropolitan Library system.