Author: Jane Patten

Forty Days and Forty Nights

“I’m wondering if it’s going to be just like in the Bible,” Mrs. Steele exclaimed. “Forty days and forty nights!” Her voice was loud and shrill, as she handed Dad his change, and the way she kept talking made me think that she didn’t want us to leave. I understood. The nights were long and dark …

Nero 2019

The violin wasn’t invented until 800 years laterSo he could not have actually fiddledWhile Rome burned—But that doesn’t make it fake news either,For metaphorically speakingHe giggled his way through the destructionOf his own civilizationAnd we will not forget. BesidesWe already know that history is repleteWith omissions and additionsMisrepresentation and liesBut we’re fully capableTo use our own …

Ode to White Zin

(Dedicated to my ex-husband’s cousin whom I’ll never have to see again for the rest of my life, thank goodness) When I offered him a glass of wineHe hesitated and asked what kindWhite Zinfandel, said IHow pedestrian, he repliedAnd rolled his eyes As soon as he left, I searched online—What exactly is a pedestrian wine?The first …

Writer’s Block

It’s not because there aren’t stories to tellIn fact, there are too manyTightly packed in an airtight sackAnd tendered with the admonition to Never           spill                     the                            beans For beans …

Found Treasures

Look downFor found treasures:The fallen featherThe melee of mushroomsA stone unturnedA leaf –Tiny tokens of a bigger worldThat carry voices of the growling earthAnd the high pitched hum of skyThe keening of the clouds and theSingsong chatter of grass The greatest gifts are almost hiddenGrounded in earth tones and symbiotic notesInviting us to  listenTo the purest of …