I Am a Rose: A Life in Poetry

By Stacey Levitt

On August 30, 1995, 18-year-old Torontonian Stacey Levitt, out jogging after her shift as a lifeguard, was struck and killed by a car. Her death caused an outpouring of grief not just among family and friends but in a larger community shocked by the tragic loss, so early, of such a beautiful life. She was a superior dancer and athlete, a top student, and a friend to many.

And she was a gifted young poet. From the age of eight, Stacey demonstrated an extraordinary ability to capture in words the beauty and wonder of her world. She kept a journal of her favourite poems, which served to comfort her family and friends in their time of sorrow.

Staceys parents, Ned and Cheryl, published I Am a Rose, a collection of her poetry, shortly after her death. Now readers coast to coast can share in beautiful poems that have moved thousands of people to tears, brought comfort to countless hurting souls, and made everyone who has read them reflect on the meaning of life. This book of poems served as an inspiration to a television documentary, I Am a Rose, which filmed her fathers arduous completion of Staceys climb up Mt. Ixta in Mexico, which had been cut short for her by a storm.

The poetry collection, and Staceys story, have become known by climbers from around the world as they read her work at a memorial set up for her before the last ascent up the mountain.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Mar 23, 2011
• ISBN: 9781462006199

Stacey Levitt

STACEY LEVITT was born May 19, 1977 at Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital. She attended Allenby Public School, Glenview Senior Public School, and Northern Secondary School. Stacey had a wide variety of interests and lived a busy and active life while growing up in North Toronto with her family – her parents Ned and Cheryl, her sisters Marni and Jacqueline, her dog Peaches – and many very special and close friends. Stacey was struck and killed by a car while jogging August 30, 1995.

Book preview

Contents

Foreword

I Am a Rose

Just Another Poem

Green Is …

Take Off!

Above the Clouds!

If I Was a Movie Star

An Octuple* Ice Cream Cone

Lovely Lady

When Does Shalom* Come?

The Sea at Night

A Candle

Song in the Air

Storm!

The Sad Clown

A World of Colours

White Powder

Fire!

untitled

To Everyone

Autumn Wonders

Student and Teacher To Mrs Grant – for her retirement

A Sign

Puppy Luv

Lost in a Cloud

Emotional Kaleidoscope

Encounter with Death

Winter

Afraid of the Dark

Lost

Fantasy Land

….?….

Why?

Imagine

The String of Life

Ring of Fire

Heart

Waiting

Mask

Emptiness

Visions

Colours

Why

Oh, Mexico!

untitled

Untitled

Life’s Computer Game

The Colours and Shapes of the Human Race

The Woman and her Teddy Bear

Untitled

Fantasy Dream or Reality

Life(The way we forgot it was)

untitled

To Find a Destination

Untitled

The Lady Bug

Untitled

untitled

The Unknowing Traveller

The Song and the Singer

untitled

Purple Amazing

Untitled

Untitled

Forever Friends

Midway to Forever

Wind and Web

August 30, 1995: A Date to Remember

I Heard Her Say Goodbye

Marni Levitt,

Holding On

My Daughter, My Friend

The cover is a photograph of Stacey Levitt, arms outstretched in celebration, on Mount Ixta (‘Sleeping Woman’) in Central Mexico. In anticipation of the completion of the climb, Stacey wrote in her journal…

‘Day 5, Wed. March 1995

Here I sit on a rock 12000 feet up at the base of Mount Ixta. I’m bundled in eight layers of clothing watching the sun set through low-lying clouds while a few light snowflakes drift on the wind. It’s beautiful up here. Rolling hills with large tufts of grass and trees with grazing bulls who have definitely left their mark. There is a storm at the top of Ixta that may prevent us from climbing it. I have decided that I have to give it a try. I will set my mind and soul to it but I will also prepare myself for possible disappointment. I want to do this more than anything. I have to learn to suffer discomfort. If I succeed I will feel great and if I try I’ll feel great, but if I stay back I’ll never know! My hands are now too cold to write so I will hope for the best and end this entry with a promise to try!

[The expedition was not able to complete the balance of the climb of Mount Ixta the following day due to stormy weather conditions.]

missing image file

Foreword

On August 30, 1995, our daughter Stacey was taken from us suddenly and tragically in a traffic accident. She was struck by a car while she was jogging. She was