Village Poets presents the anthology, Crystal Fire, Poems of Joy and Wisdom, (Moonrise Press), as our March 24th feature at 4:30 pm and we welcome eight of the contributing poets to Bolton Hall.
Two segments of open mic will be available and refreshments will
be served. Suggested donation $5 per person for the cost of refreshments and to
donate to the Little Landers Society that manages the Bolton Hall Museum, 10110 Commerce Ave, Tujunga, CA 91040. Bolton Hall is a Los
Angeles Historical Landmark built in 1913.
Maja Trochimczyk’s remarkable new anthology, “Crystal Fire”, pulls together many poetic gems from several writers. The focus of the book is laser-tight on joy and wisdom, but the kaleidoscope of poetic imagery and insight ranges from the natural world to divine shadows to human relations. Beautiful artwork by Ambika Talwar further enhances and unifies this work, with such paintings as” Meridians” and “Serenity at Dusk” brightening its pages. Poems such as ”Snow Flower” by Jane Stuart and “What is Important?” by Alice Pero further expand the cosmic scope of these works. Do yourself a kindness in these challenging times and refresh your soul with this lovely volume. ~~Kathi Stafford, author of Blank Check (Finishing Line Press, 2016)
Edited by Maja Trochimczyk, and illustrated with paintings by Ambika Talwar, the Crystal Fire anthology gathers poems of joy and wisdom by twelve poets, eight women and four men:Elżbieta Czajkowska, Joe DeCenzo, Mary Elliott, Jeff Graham, Marlene Hitt, FrederickLivingston, Alice Pero, Allegra Silberstein, Jane Stuart, Ambika Talwar, Bory Thach, and Maja Trochimczyk. The poets span all ages and diverse life experiences. They includeémigrés from Poland, Cambodia, and India, and those born in the U.S. College professors join community poets. Native speakers appear alongside those for whom English is the second, or even the third language. The ”joy and wisdom” they write about are also different, as each poet follows their own path and gathers unique reflections to share with their readers.
Selections from Crystal Fire:
The Bantam Hours 74
To see the same tree a thousand times
is to see a thousand trees
and see a thousand trees at once,
is to see the same tree a thousand times
at the same time,
or say, is to ask the world who am I?
For the world to respond:
you are here; it is now.
~Jeff Graham
Begin Again, Summer Solstice
After a long run down the strand
her limbs untangled
Thoughts flew off
no time to reassemble
Beach trash cleared itself
Wind blew away bottles and cans
Seagulls swooped, seemed to understand
no need to explain where she was going
Heart beating faster
soul slowing
to a universe she saw, old and unmoving
Dare she think of dying
when life unfolded in colored splendor?
Tiny grains of sand fell from her
Begin again, she said
and fell down laughing
~Alice Pero
Alchemy in the Hills
Rarefied air opens up to reveal
rocks in the mountain stream,
scattered sparks of reflected sunrays,
shimmering golden waves of water
spreading in circles from where
I stand on thick grains of sand. I watch
a wild sunflower unfurl its petals.
I smile at the aerial acrobatics of sparrows
orioles and the small yellow-gray
birds of unknown names. The scents
of white sage and sumac fill the valley,
ringing with the buzz of a myriad of
bees hovering about cotton-ball arrays
of wild buckwheat. It is not much,
but it is enough: rock, sand, and leaf enough.
Children’s laughter flows towards me
from another wading pool, upstream.
They splash and laugh, laugh and splash,
amused by every droplet. I rest in
the center of my universe, at a still point
of my turning world, where all elements--
air, rock, sand, water, sunfire—
merge into one blessing of being here,
sharing this space, this time with
children’s laughter, with lily-white
yucca blossoms stretching to the sky,
and a single blade of grass guarding
its spot between stones on the creek shore.
~Maja Trochimczyk
Fig
Mora, Costa Rica
like you
I am no
true fruit
succulent
at inflection
of senescence
but an inflorescence
of sweet
swelling dreams
encircling a buzzing
stinging
winged being
except you
know precisely
when to bloom
for all those
who need
and are needed
by you
~Frederick Livingston
In the Deepest Parts….
In the deepest parts
is fire
miles of flame
carefully surrounded
by molten stone.
Hot breath
singes tree tops.
Islands are built
in a cold sea.
All this is necessary
~Marlene Hitt
Reflecting
They dance on moon spots
on a slippery floor
as a hard breeze blows the willow.
That once, when the sun itself
was in shadow,
there were crescent suns
on the wooden floor.
~Marlene Hitt
A Kyrielle
Green holly shines in winter snow
that glistens on its prickly leaves.
The holly leaves jab at the wind,
its berries feed the hungry birds.
At night, the holly tree is dark,
By day, it shines in winter’s sun
that sparkles on the holly leaves
and warms the coldest winter birds.
Rain greens the holly even more—
the berries grow and turn bright red.
The owls cry in winter’s wind,
the holly greens and glows.
~Jane Stuart
MORE ABOUT THIS BOOK: moonrisepress.blogspot.com/2022/09/moonrise-press-publishes-crystal-fire.html