This small collection of Rosella Stern’s (1941-2022) many poems has seven sections organized by theme. Some were previously published, others found in folders, boxes, hand-written on yellow legal pads, and on scraps of paper. Because she wrote poetry for 60 years, the style and formatting changed over time and differ from poem to poem within each section of the book. Her daughter Rebecca Bloom has given Paula Donahue (Rosella’s sister) permission to publish any or all of it.

The book is titled Rosella because the poems reveal a bit of who she was, but the seven sections and more than 100 poems do not reveal her complete person. She was incredibly witty and sometimes, hilariously funny, sometimes a little wild, but always concerned about making her home a retreat for herself and others. She cared deeply about human rights and helped many individuals in so many ways.

Hopefully, this compelling sampling of her poetry will engross you.

 

Rosella
Curated by Paula Donahue (Rosella’s sister)
Published by Cygnet Press 2025
ISBN: 9780983349860
Design/Layout: Tim Anderson/Paula Donahue
Contact: Tim Anderson, publisher
tim@cygnetpress.com
All rights reserved
Contact Publisher for information and inquiries

Poetry in Motion

I went to the edge of the abyss
and I laughed the laugh
of centuries
golden light all visible around me

I walked on the other side
the dark side
and I came back
simpler than before

You wouldn’t know this
to see me
to look at me in passing
I look like some older woman
out shopping for shoes

I look like some woman in jeans
walking through the
vegetables at Whole Foods
fingering the carrots for luck
and the avocados for sensuality.

How could you know?

©Rosella Stern

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