I have started to write this poem
too many times. I have never
finished it.
I peel a clementine, pull it
into segments, savor its
clean crisp citrus.
It wasn’t quite ready
to be eaten, but
it tasted sweet anyway.
I started to dial your number
(1-800-MISS-YOU)
more times than enough.
I never pressed TALK,
because I know
you’ll just let it ring.
Naima Hirsch is a self-identified theatre person and ice cream connoisseur. She has been writing poetry for as long as she can remember, and she received recognition for her work from the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards in 2014. Her work has appeared in Crab Fat Magazine, The Rising Phoenix Review, and The Stray Branch. Naima studies English at Hunter College in New York City.