Rose E. Brett was the unofficial poet laureate of Hollenbeck Palms, and in 1946 a small selection of her light verse was published in pamphlet form as “Homespun Rhymes.” The price was $1. We were lucky enough to find a copy of this scarce volume at Caravan Book Store, the last survivor of downtown LA’s book row. According to the records of Hollenbeck, Rose and her husband Cyrus Willard Brett moved into the home on July 6, 1934. Cyrus died in 1938, and Rose stayed on until her own death on October 19, 1948. This is the second of a series of blog posts presenting the sweet, forgotten, and still very timely rhymes of Rose E. Brett of Hollenbeck. We hope you love them as much as the OGs do!
EVOLUTION AT HOLLENBECK HOME by Rose E. Brett
Just a scad of old silk stockings,
Some “undies” far from new,
Some worn-out rayon garments,
An old silk dress, or two–
Some packages of Putnam’s dyes,
Some burlap, bought at Sears;
A pattern taken from a rug
That was made in other years;
A little metal gadget,
And a woman with a “bug,”
She put them all together,
And, lo, a modern rug.
Continue reading “Homespun Rhymes by Rose E. Brett: Evolution at Hollenbeck Home”
