Moonrise Press is very pleased to receive such a positive review of its new anthology "Crystal Fire. Poems of Joy and Wisdom" edited by Maja Trochimczyk and published in 2022. The review by Michael Escoubas was included in Quill & Parchment Vol. 262, April 2023 and is reprinted here in its entirety. It is even nicer that this issue commemorates the Poetry Month with a series of poems about great poetic masters of the English language. So it is a double honor - to be so praised and to be placed in such great company. http://quillandparchment.com/archives/April2023/vol262.html
Crystal Fire: Poems of Joy and Wisdom
Editor: Maja Trochimczyk; Art by Ambika Talwar; 144 poems ~ 14 paintings ~ 188 pages
Publisher: (Moonrise Press, October 2022)
ISBN 978-1-945938-58-0 (color paperback) ~ 188 pages ~ $53.00 plus S&H
ISBN 978-1-945938-57-3 (color hardcover) ~ 188 pages ~ $68.00 plus S&H
ISBN 978-1-945938-59-7 (eBook) ~ $10.00 instant download
To Order: https://moonrisepress.com/crystal-fire-anthology.html
Reviewed by Michael Escoubas
The Sublime Senses
Until the heart stops
it desires.
Until the mind stills;
it aspires;
Until the senses
take their leave
they deceive–
such dreams they weave …
I chose this poem by Ella Czajkowska, as the perfect lead-in to my review of Maja Trochimczyk’s stunning new anthology Crystal Fire: Poems of Joy and Wisdom. In two succinct quatrains Ella’s poem captures my emotions. While defining abstract terms such as Joy and Wisdom is like trying to nail jello to a wall, key words such as “desires” and “aspires” speak to me. I desire Joy; I aspire to Wisdom. Both words are beyond my reach.
Stanza two, hints that I must take a pause and allow the subtleties of the imagination to inform me. Through the superb efforts of 12 talented poets (8 women, 4 men) fresh light has been shed upon your reviewer’s quest. More on this later.
The book is illustrated by the multi-talented Ambika Talwar. One of her works precedes each featured poet’s contribution. I mentioned earlier that growing in Joy and Wisdom requires slowing down, taking a pause. Ambika’s paintings play a key role … they whisper Joy. Here is an example entitled “Quiet Rainfall”:
“Quiet Rainfall” by Ambika Talwar ~ Acrylic / 1997
As I reflected on Ambika’s painting, paired with Marlene Hitt’s poems, something struck me: Painters and poets share similar concerns, namely, bringing Nature’s message of beauty and spirituality alive in people’s hearts. Da Vinci said it, Poets paint pictures with words; artists write poetry without words. Her poem, “Words from the Garden,” gives me a sense of “Quiet Rainfall,” here’s an excerpt:
Rose and Petunia, Lantana and Sage …
A passing breeze lifts my hair as I sit pondering
the beauty of the life that surrounds me.
Bushes with plain simple leafy life
display themselves and I speak their names,
Savor the sounds my lips make …
Hitt’s inflections and phrasings surround me with a sense of raindrops assuming (but not imposing) their rightful place in the world and even in human life. Could life be about that? Could it be that Joy and Wisdom have something to do with such perceptions? The poet's sensuous phrasings continue,
… Xylosma, Sweet Jessamine, Plumbago Blue
and Bougainvillea Magenta, Oleander, Fuschia,
bright yellow Palo Verde, iron wooded and thorny,
Wisteria surrounding it all to make me feel safe.
While Trochimczyk’s goal, as editor, is not an ideal coordination between paintings and poems, the paintings do set a mindfulness tone as readers step into each section.
Frederick Livingston’s “Rainbows Dreaming,” brought me up short with a touch of Wisdom I had not considered before. I have italicized his Wisdom lines. The poem was inspired by Snoqualmie Pass, in Washington state.
Now I know
the blankness of snow
is only rainbows dreaming,
teaming with streaks of red paintbrush
little lanterns of columbine
tiger lilies prowl the scree slope
yellow asters multiply the sun
the hungry green of spring leaves
purple-blue lupine flooding the valley.
Who would ever know
these slopes were covered in snow
one mere moon ago?
What else have I not seen
and called “empty” in my ignorance?
What dreams within me may erupt
from thawing soil,
simply waiting for ripe moments
to answer the generosity of sunlight?
Before launching into the poems themselves, I was blessed by Maja Trochimczyk’s two and one-half page preface. This personally revealing summary of her motivations for giving birth to Crystal Fire is indispensable reading. In it she explains her use of "Crystal," and "Fire," in the title. Don't pass over this enlightened writing.
I also appreciated reading the extended biographies of each poet at the end of the volume. Each contributor offers a unique take on the subject matter, thus adding a touch of virtuosity to the whole.
In an age of vitriolic talk, of political and moral uncertainty, amid the dark clouds of Covid-19, Crystal Fire draws back the curtain on Love, Joy and yes, Wisdom.
As art and poetry work together, I’ve come to an ever-deeper appreciation of Wallace Stevens’ very practical saying, “Poetry [and painting] is a response to the daily necessity of getting the world right.” I can’t help thinking that Maja Trochimczyk, Ambika Talwar, and the talented contributors to Crystal Fire, would agree.
~ Michael Escoubas, Quill & Parchment Vol. 262, April 2023
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