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In Memory's Book - Linus Lyszkowska
Indigo Dreams Publishing, 44pp, £4.95, ISBN978-1-907401-17-6
Chqs ‘Linus Lyszkowska’ sent to IDP.

                  He loved the kindly people here,
                  Who opened their hearts and homes to him
                  And his exiled countrymen
                  And made them welcome.
                  Sanctuary

When this choice collection first came into my possession, I knew at once that here was a selection of poems that not only would be a pleasure to review, but would also prove to be a welcome literary endeavour whose verses I would certainly be reading again and again. Linus is, of course, as Scottish as the ‘tree-fringed lochs’ and the ‘purple-heathered lonely moors’ so evocatively underpinning her well-crafted writings; whereas, her constant love of those idyllic environs has been considerably heightened by interwoven memories of her late hush and - a Polish war hero whose release from German captivity during the Second World War, had resulted in his eventual settlement in Britain; for it was in Scotland that he and Linus were to meet and fall in love.

The two introductory poems. ‘OCCUPATION’ and ‘PRISONER No. 12097’, give graphic account of the bestial treatment meted out by the Nazis to those Polish survivors attempting to flee from the savage destruction of their war-torn neighbourhoods; and subsequent disturbing prison-camp recollections (as earlier related to Linus) are vividly here portrayed. How Marian Lyszkowska (her husband then-to-be) was able to struggle through those abominable, enforced privations and make his successful bid for freedom is, in itself, a circumstance of near miraculous consequence :

                       He saw friends wither and die,
                       Men shot, men whipped,
                       Men starved, men going mad,
                       Men committing suicide,
                       Prisoner-drawn wagons of the dead
                       Taken daily to the crematorium.
                       Prisoner No. 12097

The poignancy of Linus' treasured memories of her late husband is perhaps best exemplified in her moving title-poem, ‘IN MEMORY’S BOOK’, where she writes in simple terms about the ‘single pale primrose’ that her loving husband had once picked for her, many years' ago :

                       Fading now,
                       Its fragrance long gone,
                       Safe in memory's book;
                       One tiny flower
                       With a world of memories.
                       In Memory’s Book

For a short period of years, this happily married couple were able to put aside those earlier horrors of war and share together the joys of the wild Scottish countryside:

                      Carefree, Laughing
                      Like two children at play,
                      Hand clutching hand,
                      We raced down
                      The steep, near vertical
                      Scree
                      Fearnoch

Later, the couple moved to Brazil, where they were to spend many contented married years. Two of Linus' poems create a particularly resplendent depiction of that Latin American land of many contrasts, her masterly poem, ‘BRAZIL’ , positively glowing with vibrant, exotic imagery. However, it is nevertheless obvious that Linus’ love of her never-to-be-forgotten native Scotland has ever remained an abiding presence in her affections :

                      Birdsong in an April dawn,
                      Golden crocuses in the snow,
                      The pungent smell of wood-smoke,
                      A peat fire, soft woollen cloth
                      Woven in a Highlander's croft
                      Happiness Is

This is a collection richly deserving a wider circle of readership and provides a concise and fitting tribute to a late-departed husband, friend and person of great integrity. Highly Recommended!