Critical Commentary
“Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer’s lyrical poetry is written with such precision and economy of language that readers will want to slowly absorb her every image and metaphor. Trommer writes of ‘symphonies of snowstorms,’ the ‘soprano of starlight,’ and the entire score of nature’s sounds that are secret unless listened to deliberately ‘day after day.’ ” –Rocky Mountain News
“Trommer’s poems amuse, others cause introspection. They include nuance and life lessons
from weeds and snow, rocks and frogs. Trommer is witty and enjoyable to read.”
— Grand Junction Daily Sentinel
“[If You Listen] is a small book with a big message, a book to keep by the reading chair so it can be picked up often. A great gift book or quiet meditation book to keep all for yourself.” – Bloomsbury Review
“Charming sorcery. … Trommer possesses a nicely tuned sense of human emotions and their echoes in the natural world. When so many writers have turned a cynical eye toward love and passion, she celebrates our deep need for these powerful energies. One of the strongest poetry performers west of the Pecos.” – Telluride Magazine
“The room was spellbound. It was a pleasure to see the faces of the audience as Rosemerry’s words provided the space for them to reflect. Many told me afterwards that the session sparked their creative imaginations as to possibilities for their own lives. Any group that’s committed to self-discovery and basking in the wonder of the world should bring Rosemerry into their midst. ”
—Stephanie Nestlerode, President, DTC Business & Professional Women
“I have really improved my poetry skills and felt safe and honored so it was easy to open up. I definitely got my money’s worth. ”
—Lauren Kane, writer, Telluride, Colorado
“I wanted to let you know how much I LOVED your workshop. It was easily the best of the weekend for me personally because it allowed me some personal growth that I plan to build on. That is what I was hoping for and that it what actually happened.”
— Karen Sucharski, Colorado Springs
ABOUT HOLDING THREE THINGS AT ONCE
(Turkey Buzzard Press, 2008)
Excerpts from a review by John Nizalowski in Telluride Magazine, Winter 2008-2009:
“ … her finest writing yet. While familiar Trommer themes appear in this book—love, family, nature, self-knowledge—we find richer imagery, deeper metaphors and sharper details in this latest work. Apparently, Trommer has recently experienced a visionary metamorphosis that has made an already-superb poet even better. …
“…Trommer has been mining religion and mythology for potent thematic and descriptive material. In ‘Some Nights, Although I Am Faithless,’ she fuses prayer, fear and forest fires: ‘Tonight I’d rather fuss and dust than pray, / as if to shine could be intransitive. / Outside, the wildfire ash makes starlight stiff. / Inside, the prayers billow anyway.’ The poem ‘Eve Composes a letter to Her Mother’ displays Trommer’s wit, in this case intertwined with a fascinating concept that turns Genesis on its side, with Eve contemplating the characteristics of her mother. ‘I’ve guessed about the color of your eyes, / and wondered if my face is shaped like yours.’
“The book’s heart rests in the section entitled ‘How Soon Language Slips,’ which explores the limitation so language, an ironic subject for a poet with an MA in linguistics. … Trommer’s examination of language and its boundaries reach an apex in the poem ‘Ars Poetica.’ Evoking a famous sermon of Buddha’s during which he said nothing for two hours and then held up a flower, Trommer admits that ‘no vocabulary rivals’ that wordless revelation. Nonetheless, as a poet, Trommer’s sacred task is to illuminate the world through words: ‘Still, I thrill at the pleasure of naming, / the joy of the verb unfurling / from primitive places below the belly / before spiraling into the ear -- / yes, here is the toil of the poet ….’ Considering the beauty of her work, all that one can say to Trommer is, ‘Toil on, please.’ ”
