I think it’s safe to say that I’m a night owl by nature. There’s no one to stay up late for, just me, myself and I and whatever I’m working on in the moment. But, you might as well call whatever I’m working on a lover, because I burn the midnight oil just to make overtures to it, in order to get it done. 12:30 a.m.: That’s not so bad. 1:30 a.m.: It’s time for bed. 2:30 a.m.: It’s time to wrap up, I guess. 3:30 a.m.: That’s when the cable update starts. 4:30 a.m.: Better go to bed. 5:30 a.m.: Crap, I pulled an all-nighter again.
I’m not sure how many times I can count where I got inspired, stayed up and worked on the thing I wanted to get done, sat dawn and then went straight to bed after that. It’s always really a hoot! I mean — ehem — it’s exhausting and I’m not doing this again. I’m SO tired!
This poem is Copyright 2026 by Jessica Anne McLean. All rights reserved. File sharing is encouraged.
“In their previous lives, poets were bats, and thinkers were owls.”
Welcome to The Rose! This is my literary corner of the internet, dedicated to all things creative writing. Here is where I keep a collection of my work. This includes everything from poems to short stories to writing tips, aka my collection of AD-Libs. I hope you enjoy what I have written here and are able to relate to my work. But ultimately, I hope this site inspires you to love writing as much as I do!
Writing Like a Rose: With Beauty, Thorns, Addiction, Dedication, and Inspiration. Please see the “About” pages for more information!!
Feedback: Criticism is welcomed!! And, feel free to leave comments if you like or dislike something.
What’s here: See the different categories for different poem formats! They include sestinas, villanelles, sonnets, etheree, semi-perfect sonnets, haiku and others.
Most recently published: “I found a grocery list in my driveway.”, a sestina, and “In a text message,”, a double etheree.
In case you missed it last month: “Forked!”, an etheree. See the “Forked! Story Key” for an author’s note on this poem! You can find this under “Other Work” and then “Story Keys”. Also, “Waystations”, a sestina, and “Why I always stay up late” and “How to write a prose poem”, both prose poems, are up.
Important: Due to the story’s sensitive nature, the sestina, “Coming to America”, is password protected. If you would like the password, please email me at magnoliamclean@comcast.net.
AD-Lib is here! Make sure you stop by the AD-Lib section! You can view previous AD-Libs under the “AD-Libs” tab to get some great tips on your writing and find out what is going through my head as I write. You can also view old Ad-Libs by year under the “Archived Entries” tab.
Coming soon: You’ll be surprised! ;) I always try to keep this site updated, so there’s always something new here!
The fine print: Finally, please read IMPORTANT copyright information before proceeding; however, I do encourage the file sharing of my work.
Again, welcome! And, enjoy your time at “The Rose”!!
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