AM Roselli

AM Roselli is a writer and artist living in Hudson Valley, New York. Her collection of illustrated poetry, Love of the Monster, was published in 2016. Her writing has appeared in The Stillwater Review, The Paragon Journal, Literary Mama, Front Porch Review, Panoplyzine, Oddball, Firefly and The Absurdist. Her art was featured in the A3 Review and Emerge Gallery, Saugerties, NY.

Response to creative prompt: "When I look in the mirror, I see..."

My vibrant mother and dearest friend, who at 81 years, old taught conversational Italian and rode the Cyclone at Coney Island, suffered a major stroke five weeks after her husband, my formidable father died in his sleep. To this day, my beautiful mother continues to suffer with horrible neuropathic pain. My mother and I look alike and think alike. Not a day goes by, that I don't hold myself up to a mirror and try to reflect her kindness, compassion and strength.

During the period when my father died and my mother suffered a major stroke, my live-in mother-in-law also passed away. I cared for her as I did my mother when she moved in with us. While none of these people were ‘young’ —they were. I’m currently working on a collection to honor their memory, The Pegasus Clock, poems of love, loss and growing older.