Bright Skies. Selected Poems by Maja Trochimczyk, published in May 2022 continues to attract positive attention and praise.
Michael Escoubas, in a February 2023 review in online journal Quill and Parchment complimented the poet's idea of writing a book for her two new granddaughters, to read when they grow up and wrote:
"Moonrise Press has produced Bright Skies on high quality stock, perfect for reproducing fine typography and full-color artwork. Featuring seasonal transitions supported by landscape and botanical imagery, Bright Skies rewarded me with each turn of the page. Wallace Stevens, among the premier poets of the last century has written, “The most beautiful thing in the world is, of course, the world itself.” Bright Skies is structured, whether consciously or not, with Stevens’ dictum in mind. Trochimczyk quite literally offers “her” world in word and image. [...]
Maja Trochimczyk asserts “I am a positive poet.” She means that she looks for and finds the good in life: good in family, good in faith, good in nature and the world. How refreshing, this infusion of light, in a world that oftentimes seems dominated by bad news. For Trochimczyk, the world is beautiful and has value. She highlights a world that is worth redeeming. While acknowledging the flawed nature of existence, she does not “live” there. She dwells in light.[...] Trochimczyk’s body of work bears witness to a mature writing style which uses all the tools in a poet’s toolbox. Most importantly, however, is the mind and heart from which her poems spring. Her substantive ideas are accessible."
The reviewer cited selected poems that impressed him: "A Springtime Revelation," "A Pear in a Tree," "Diamonds, "Gifts," and a fragment of "I Give You the World" written earlier for Maja's first grandson, Adam. Let's read the first of these poems in its entirety:
A Springtime Revelation
I love my mountains
blue and spring green, still
under clear azure expanse.
Their velvet pleats pile up
in layers above the valley rocks,
pathways in empty riverbed.
This is the Earth— naked,
free of trees and houses, of rush
and pavement and cars on hot asphalt
in L.A. summers— this is pure repose
— serenely breathing, slowly, deeply
in the cycle of centuries, eons.
I love my mountains—
the bluish shadows on distant slopes
manzanita and sage scattered
close-by. The hills open like curtains
into infinity to let me in—beyond the next
peak, the next canyon, into new worlds
that thrive in golden sunlight, expand under
the cool glow of spiraling galaxies before dawn.
I’m here, I found my life waiting for me
under the indigo cupola outlined
with deep purple at the ridges—here
crickets measure the night as they sing
“we are here here here here here here”
while birds sleep, hidden among branches.
Only distant waves of truck noise
from the freeway remind me that
this paradise of mine, this fluid, living
folding and unfolding is my L.A. home
hidden in a strange metropolis,
my own La La Land of bare mountains,
and the brightest of sunlit gardens.
At the time of publication, the first Poet Laureate of Sunland Tujunga, Marlene Hitt, wrote the following:
"From pears in a California garden to a recipe from her Polish grandmother for pickled pears, Maja Trochimczyk leads her readers into a lovely world. She sees the beauty of a rose, a bird, a sunrise. She has brought her childhood memories from faraway Poland into the splendid light of Southern California. Woven into each poem is a word picture, accompanied by a photograph of local scenes from her neighborhood – Big Tujunga Wash, Descanso Gardens, Oxnard Beach. These wonderful, heart-warming poems are full of exquisite metaphors and images, where spirituality comes through clearly, without labels, devotions, or being overly didactic.
My favorites, “Mason Bees” and “On Landscapes: A Guidebook,” bring together vivid descriptions of Nature with inspirational life-lessons that Nature imparts. They are perfect in substance, style and language. Seeking contentment in domestic life – peaceful home and garden – is an important message for everyone today. The book includes even an original version of marriage vows and ends with a surprise: a selection of old-fashioned recipes for traditional Polish dishes mentioned in poems. Readers will grow in knowledge of beauty and joy surrounding them, shared in daily doses of bliss. "
~ Marlene Hitt, poet and historian, author of "Clocks and Water Drops"
"Mason Bees" and "On Landscapes: A Guidebook" were posted on Trochimczyk's poetry blog, Poetry Laurels, so there's no need to copy them here.
Poet Dorothy Skiles of Sacramento,CA, wrote the following about the book:
"Maja Trochimczyk’s new poetry book, Bright Skies, tells a beautiful story in photos, in prose, and in poems. She does not only see with her eyes, but with her mind, heart and soul as well. Her book, a celebration of God’s earth in all its beauty, respects all living things. Throughout this rich collection of poems and photographs, there is an intimacy, a warmth, a caring by the narrator towards the object she describes, for instance in Double Delight, a charming poem about a rose from her garden. This personal tone keeps the reader engaged.
I had to smile when reading A Day Trip to Venice, CA. In the summer of 1967, the year I discovered I like writing poems, I’d arrive at Venice Beach around 10:00 am. I would park myself in the sand with my guitar, folk music and a writing pad. I’d sing, write poetry, and body surf until the afternoon. Then, I’d change into my cotton candy uniform and work from 4:00 pm to midnight at Pacific Ocean Park. What a life! I’m glad Maja’s poem brought back this happy memory of my youth. This magic of poetry stems from the skill of the poet. I believe that Trochimczyk's book will live on, for it is full of life, full of wonder, full of wisdom!"
Another positive review appeared in CSPS Poetry Letter No. 3, 2022. William Scott Galasso also found plenty to praise in this colorful volume of poems and photographs.
"In these uncertain times, when the world wobbles on its axis between pandemics, climate change and war, taxing our ability to cope, Maja Trochimczyk, presents us with her antidote, Bright Skies, Selected Poems. The book is divided into five sections: Spring, Summer, Babie Lato, Autumn and Winter. She created this generous volume (her ninth) as a gift to her children, grandchildren and for those of readers fortunate to read it. Every poem celebrates the incomparable beauty, diversity and healing power of nature--giving us reason for hope.[...]
In addition, she compliments her literary art with a visual artist’s eye for light, color, shape in the exquisite detail of her photography. The photographs on glossy paper present in minute detail every subject she turns her attention to. Further, her knowledge of local flora and fauna verges on the encyclopedic presenting us with an abundance of riches, which inform her life and work, writing poetry is like growing artichokes from a seed of invention.
Whether one perceives dewdrops on a rose, the wind swirl of a kite in cerulean skies or, an incoming wave bursting from a turquoise sea, one is moved and that’s the point. She presents all five senses and dares you to fully engage—and to be moved."
~ William Scott Galasso, review excerpt from Poetry Letter No. 3, 2022
"An Artichoke of a Poem" was posted on Trochimczyk's Poetry Laurels blog, "Flying kites..." can also be found there, and several blogs presented poems about ocean waves.
Hungarian-American painter Susan Dobay was so inspired with the philosophy of life that Trochimczyk hid among the beauties of garden and California landscape, that she wrote the following:
"Bright Skies poems have the highest intensity expressed in an enjoyable poetic , artistic way. From Bright Skies poetry I am learning to listen to nature with an open mind and heart. The poems of Bright Skies are pointing to a higher awareness level while giving an utmost ecstatic pleasure to the senses. The simultaneous expression of biological love making and spiritual love are in perfect harmony. Maja’s poems are stimulation... inspiration to listen to the essence of nature. This book creates harmony in the heart. The colorful photos are expressing visually the richness of the poems."
~ Susan Dobay, painter
