Trumpet wails
smoke curls in jazz club
ice clinks in whiskey glasses.
Eyes glued to stage
they sit, imagining,
caught in her spell.

Red moist lips
sing in raspy sex-tinged voice
I put a spell on you.
Hips gyrate slowly
arms stretch above her head
hands writhe seductively.

He sits, shoulders slumped.
Food spattered lapels
ink stained fingertips.
The poet, as he’s known,
soaks in the atmosphere
with nowhere to go.

His mind travels
with her every word.
Imagines himself
inside her throat,
inside her eyes,
inside her soul.

Why can’t his words
do to his readers
what her voice
her words
her body
do to him?

Written for dVerse, the virtual pub for poets around the globe. Today, Sanaa hosts Tuesday Poetics with a prompt titled Thirteen Songs, Thirteen Hauntings.

She gives us a list of thirteen songs and asks us to be inspired by one of them. We’re to let the music determine the mood, imagery, setting, and voice of the poem. I’ve selected I Put a Spell on You, by Nina Simone. The music and video definitely inspired my poem. Click on the video above, watch and listen for a bit and you’ll understand why.