Patricia Wellingham-Jones lives in rural northern California and was Poet’s Corner’s first overseas contributor. A former psychology researcher and writer/editor, she writes for the review department of Recovering the Self: a journal of hope and healing, and has been widely published in poetry and non-fiction.
Banking, 1957
The boy pulled his mother
through the bank’s front door
over to the banker’s desk.
Feet planted, voice polite but firm,
he wondered why the account
with his paper round money
didn’t show any interest.
The banker looked at the account,
studied the boy (a neighbour),
agreed that couldn’t be right.
From his pocket he fished a penny,
set it on the boy’s account book,
marched them over to the teller’s window,
had the interest added.
Over the years the interest grew.
Only much later did the boy wonder
how many pennies of it came
from the banker’s own pocket.
Patricia Wellingham-Jones’ poetry, and interviews, can also be found online.
Readers’ original and unpublished poems up to 30 lines can be emailed, with postal address, to [email protected]. A poetry book will be awarded to each contributor.
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