Love Haiku #2
kiss me in the spring,
taste the zest of freshly cut
grass, green on my lips
© 2015 Nortina Simmons
No Holds Barred Poetry Writing Challenge: Day 10
Tag: NHBPWC 2015
No Holds Barred Poetry Writing Challenge: Day 9
It is like a scene from a movie.
He is on the other side of the coffee shop,
by the window drinking his latte—
pumpkin—I can see the red P
scribbled just above his finger.
He’s the only man I’ve ever seen
drink something pumpkin.
Is that why I fall in love
with him so quickly?
He stares out of the window
through the curtain of fallen
leaves gliding in the wind.
I write down what he’s wearing in my notepad—
blue cardigan, gray button down,
the color brings out the pink in his lips—
like bubble gum,
with a hint of pumpkin spice.
I write the scene:
He turns and sees me watching,
returns my stare with the intensity of his clear blue eyes.
He takes a sip from his cup,
licks the whipped cream residue from his upper lip.
My heart flutters when he rises from his seat
I can feel my pulse in my throat—
it chokes me.
He’s closer now, the magnetic pull of his eyes
drives the movement of my pen—
calligraphic letters decorate the page with our love story.
I tilt my head,
ready myself for his seasoned lips
to blend with the caramel of my left cheek.
Suddenly, he breaks our connection,
tosses his empty cup into the trash can next to my table
and leaves the shop,
disappearing behind maelstrom of brown leaves,
ellipses following closely behind him.
I drop my pen.
© 2015 Nortina Simmons
No Holds Barred Poetry Writing Challenge: Day 8
I season my food like an Indian—
the country, not the reservation—
Is that racist?
I don’t mean to be—
I took a cultural awareness seminar at work.
Our company is outsourcing more jobs to India—
the country, not the reservation—
those of us still here
sit in lonely offices on empty hallways
from nine to five
while our co-workers race to catch crowded trains
in route to an office in Kolkata, India—
the country, not the reservation—
for graveyard shifts that cater to our every need.
No Holds Barred Poetry Writing Challenge: Day 7
African . . .
American . . .
Elsewhere . . .
These are the words my four-year-old son
pushes from his lips
as I drive by American Furniture Warehouse—
leaning over his car seat,
pressing his face into the glass window,
attempting to read the letters
displayed across the front of the building.
I want to applaud him,
congratulate him for getting at least one word right,
but I wonder why he chose the other two…
No Holds Barred Poetry Writing Challenge: Day 6
Love Haiku #1
nothing says love like
catching haystack fleas after
fucking in a barn
© 2015 Nortina Simmons
No Holds Barred Poetry Writing Challenge: Day 5
I’m drawing a blank for today’s poem. I was thinking about using this guy I’ve been crushing on for the past several months as inspiration. By the way, isn’t that pretty pathetic? A grown woman having a crush on her co-worker as if she’s still in middle school. Seriously, why can’t I just walk up to him and ask him out? Has my fear of rejection grown that much since age 12? But I digress.
Continue reading “No Holds Barred Poetry Writing Challenge: Day 5”No Holds Barred Poetry Writing Challenge: Day 4
I woke up dying—
tiny fingers clamped
around my throat—
I couldn’t breathe.
It was her—
my unborn child
returning from the hell
I cursed her to,
sealing my fate with
one fatal promise:
our reunion in eternity.
© 2015 Nortina Simmons
No Holds Barred Poetry Writing Challenge: Day 3
Have you ever stared at a blank screen, typing, deleting, typing, staring, deleting, and finally giving up after an hour-long unsuccessful session? That’s what’s been happening to me lately with this short story idea that has been inhabiting my mind for the past few months. Usually when I have an idea for a story, I let it marinate on my brain for a few days or weeks before I put it on the page. I do this to weed out the bad stories—if a story isn’t as good as I had originally thought, I usually forget about it after a couple of days. However, this idea stuck around, so I thought it had potential. Unfortunately, I just can’t seem to develop it into a decent short story. Maybe it could make a good poem? I’ll give it a try. I would call this poem the reverse version of the movie Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.
Continue reading “No Holds Barred Poetry Writing Challenge: Day 3”No Holds Barred Poetry Writing Challenge: Day 2
I’ve kissed more boys
than I can count
and have loved less.
My feelings intensify and
fade like the seasons.
Do not mention marriage in the summer
and never children in the snow.
Laugh at my jokes and I’ll
pretend your confessions of
undying infatuation don’t amuse me.
My heart has belonged to one man only—
old enough to be my daddy.
He loved me roughly and
told me I’d be his when
I turn thirty.
So I wait for him,
continue kissing my boys
and stealing their hearts
to keep me company
until my daddy comes home.
© 2015 Nortina Simmons
No Holds Barred Poetry Writing Challenge: Day 1
I haven’t written a poem in quite some time—a few months maybe? Lately, I’ve been suffering from a nasty case of writer’s block when it comes to poetry. So, starting today, I’m going to try to give you guys a new and original poem every day. Some may be long; others may be short. It all depends on how inspired I am and how much I can overcome this writer’s block. This is the real deal, no holds barred, poetry writing slam! Here we go!
Continue reading “No Holds Barred Poetry Writing Challenge: Day 1”
Nortina's Writing Inspiration Well 