Published work & writing samples
“A poets words are the lyrics for the song in their soul”
-Patty Cicero
Commissioned writing sample:
“Home” by Patty Cicero
It’s a sigh of relief
after a long day.
Where parents laugh
and children play.
Where loved ones gather
to make a toast
and cheer to those
we cherish most.
Where dreams are born, and memories are made.
Where faith is strengthened
and never fades.
It’s where we grow up
& where we grow old.
Where the fabric of time
is woven in gold.
It travels with us,
no matter how far.
It reminds us all
of who we are.
It is not just plaster,
or paint, or stone;
it’s where our stories are written,
and where love is grown.
2023 Writers Digest
Award Winner
“One” by Patty Cicero
One to be punished
One to bleed
One to numb the pain
One to fill the need
One to suffer
One to blame
One to start the fire
One to snuff out the flames
One to shed the tears
One to wipe them away
One to realize their fears
One to keep them at bay
One to fall apart
One to stand strong
One with a damaged heart
Two that belong.
Published in 2022 by Poets Choice
“Delicate” by Patty Cicero
I carry this sorrow within me,
like a lump in the center of my chest.
I swallow it down,
but it claws its way back to the surface
again & again.
Fighting so long
with this wretched,
unrelenting thing.
I carry this delicate hope in my hands,
every step taken in trepidation.
Surely one day it will be crushed
under the weight of my heavy heart.
Holding so tightly
onto this fragile,
little thing.
Published in 2022 by Wingless Dreamer Publishers
“Repressed” by Patty Cicero
“If I can’t have you, no one can…”
The words repeat in the blurry haze of early morning.
Dreams & crowded thoughts
slow dancing with one another yet again.
And an old scar is suddenly ripped open
with all the precision of a rusty blade.
The sun forces its way through the mini blinds
& brutally attacks my slumber.
My vigilant assailant reemerges;
destroying the sweet, fleeting serenity of sleep.
Like an angry child smashing its favorite toy,
over and over again.
Published in 2022 by Poets Choice
“Bittersweet” by Patty Cicero
The morning routine; bed head & a fresh cup of coffee.
I drown mine in cream until it’s barely recognizable.
The bittersweet brew stirs up long forgotten memories.
Whipping up a fresh pot for my father
when I was hardly tall enough to reach the kitchen sink.
Coffee, uncombed hair & a pack of smokes.
Every morning.
The breakfast of champions.
He never tainted his caffeine with cream or sugar though.
Menthol was the only flavor that paired properly.
A pack a day. Every morning with his dark black brew.
He would’ve hated the way I drink my coffee.
Bittersweet.
Published in 2022 by Wingless Dreamer Publishers
“Loop” by Patty Cicero
This life both begins and ends with tears.
The in between is spent fumbling our way through-
planning for a future with an unknown expiration date.
But the world will continue to spin-
caught in an infinite loop;
forever chasing its tail
& hoping for a different outcome.
Published in 2021 by Ink Babies Literary Magazine
“Missing” by Patty Cicero
My mind is an endless canvas,
forever painting pictures of a visage I have not seen.
I have never held you close,
but my arms grow heavy with the weight of your absence.
We have yet to meet,
but you are a constant presence in my thoughts.
I feel a vacuous and dark space growing deep within me;
grieving for a soul that has yet to be found.
Unpublished writing sample
“Enigma” by Patty Cicero
Love and Pain.
Two opposite equals.
Singing from the rooftops while drowning in despair.
The infinite enigma.
Light and Darkness.
One constantly craving the other.