Rocky, it seems, is broke! (5)
I believe the answer is:
stony
'is broke' is the definition.
(stony-broke is old-fashioned slang meaning poor)
'rocky it' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'it' could be 't' (abbreviation. e.g. in 'tis) and 't' is located in the answer.
The remaining letters 'sony' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
'seems' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for stony that I've seen before include "Cold, unfeeling" , "penniless" , "Rocky" , "Rock-strewn" , "Heartless" .)