Danny Earl Simmons

Prompted

I have this friend,
kind of like a sister
and kind of not –

sibling enough for my wife
(I do love my wife)
to let us stay close.

Still, she has that little extra something
that some women have
and other women want –

not to mention those green eyes
that make me look down
when my cheeks turn red.

Let me put it this way,
“sister-kisser”
loses its meaning when applied to her.

Well, I sent her an email,
Hey, I got nothin’.
Send me some prompts.
In less than five minutes,
(she digs giving me inspiration)
I get this back,

If I were not afraid...
I hit snooze and think of you…
I’ve seen you look down…


Acrostic: Mumpsimus

Makes me feel all warm inside, being
unconditional and lacking second thoughts.
Maybe the “I need beer” sign is just a tragic
plea for understanding. Besides, who am I,
standing in judgment of another man’s needs?
I stop the car, hand him a dollar through
my fully opened window, thinking of someone I
used to know. The man nods. I ease on the gas,
See you tomorrow and the next day and the next…

CP

Danny Earl Simmons is an Oregonian and a proud graduate of Corvallis High School. He is a friend of the Linn-Benton Community College Poetry Club and an active member of Albany Civic Theater. His work has appeared in various journals such as Avatar Review, The Smoking Poet, Burningword, and Pirene’s Fountain.