Darren C. Demaree

NUDE MALE WITH ECHO #304

There are parts of me
that are snapping beans

& their short music
is so lovely that I almost

called their freedom from
encasement a sacrifice.

It was all a bit of fun.
Everything that is more

than nothing is a little bit
of fun. That much is clear.

That much is my favorite
telling of the whole story.

Just a breath
is enough
warmth for me.

The cave swallows the echo.
I am relying on the attention
my body gets to funnel

the confrontation I’ve been
planning. I am aging poorly,

that does not mean I am finished
expanding my chest in front
of a crowd of attentive people.