Book review: Trochi by Carwyn Eckley

We continue our reviews of books shortlisted for the Wales Book of the Year award for 2026. This time we consider one of the titles in the Welsh language Poetry category.

You can vote for the People’s Choice here.

Ant Evans

“Trochi” is a verb, meaning “to immerse”. One thing any reader can be sure of is that they will certainly be immersed in Carwyn Eckley’s first volume of poetry, beginning, middle and end.

The central thread which is very much in evidence throughout this collection, is variety. From football, climate change, tributes, this collection truly has something for everyone.

However, the love the poet has for his family is something which stands out to the reader from the very beginning. And “Cadwyn” (chain) the work which won Eckley the Chair at the 2024 National Eisteddfod in Pontypridd, makes that abundantly clear.

Discussing the loss of his father, the reader is taken through the shadow of Eckley’s journey, from the summer of 2002 when he lost his father, to the dawn of 2024.

Of course, grief is very much a process rather than an event, and this reviewer found himself stopped in his tracks when reading “Euog” (Guilty), as it very much hit home for me:

“Hawdd yw addo,

a dweud ‘fod o

yno beunydd –

nid yw bob dydd.

A’r gwir garw?

Llai, ar fy llw,

yw’r graith weithiau

â nghof ynghau.

Er dod i’r du,

Er galaru,

rwy’n siŵr, yn sôn

di-ri’r straeon,

ei fod fel fi –

hwyl ei ddwli

yng nghist fy nghof.

Enaid ynof

o hyd ydyw.

O fath, mae’n fyw.”

“It’s easy to promise,

And say that he is

Always there –

he isn’t every day.

And the difficult truth?

Honestly, the scar,

is smaller sometimes

with my memory closed off.

Though dark times come,

Though I grieve,

I’m sure I tell

endless stories,

that he’s like me –

up for a bit of tomfoolery

in the back of my mind.

His spirit

is still within me.

In a way, he’s alive.”

As much as the works which won Eckley both the Urdd and National Eisteddfod Chairs are the clear stars here (reflecting the continued importance of both to Wales’ cultural future), this collection is filled with gems, which make the reader stop and think.

Such as “Anrhydedd” (most commonly meaning “Honour”, but in this case, leans more towards “Privilege”). This is a response to certain European countries introducing mandatory military service in the wake of the conflict in Ukraine. Though I feel it could apply just as easily to anywhere in the world experiencing conflict:

“Ni wyddom o’r newyddion beth yw bom,

beth yw byw bob noson

dan dân. Am fod ein dynion

yn saff ar yr ynys hon.”

“We’re none the wiser from the news what a bomb is,

what it is to live each night

under fire. As our men

Are safe on this island.”

The reader’s senses are also engaged in this collection. The first example to spring to mind is “Mintys” (Mint):

“Heno, roedd yn fy nghwpaniaid ddiod

flas o ddoe mewn gwydriad.

Yfais, llamais mewn llymaid

hafau’n ôl i ardd fy nhaid.”

“This evening, I had a drink in my cup

a taste of yesterday in a glass

I drank, and in a sip I was transported

Back to summer days in my grandfather’s garden.”

I could almost taste mint tea whilst reading this. Accompanying “Mintys” is a photo of the young Carwyn Eckley with his Taid (Grandfather) in the garden. Photographs (provided by Lois, the poet’s sister) serve to effectively immerse the reader in this volume further.

Honesty

Honesty and home truths can also be found in abundance in “Trochi”. Such as “Prydeiniwr” (Briton), a critique of the stereotypical Brit abroad:

“Pesgi ar y tsips a’r pysgod y mae

ym mar y Gwyddelod.

Un uniaith, un pinc hynod –

gwaethaf Brit yw Brit abroad.”

“Stuffing their faces with fish & chips

In the Irish pub.

A monoglot, incredibly pink –

the worst Brit is a Brit abroad.”

And then there’s “Cyfrwng Cymdeithasol?” (Social Media?) shedding a light on the idealised versions of oneself which others encounter on social media platforms, where the truth can be rather different:

“Weithiau, a’m hwyliau yn ulw – trwy hud

ffilter app, ar alw,

fy wyneb glân ‘welan nhw,

nid llai na phryfed lludw.”

“Sometimes, when I feel down in the dumps – as if by magic

An app’s filter, on demand

lets them see the best of me,

not what lies behind it.”

Social media

Are there any poems which stand out for me, which I’m likely to return to again? Plenty! Though if I were to choose just the one, probably “Ailagor” (Reopen). Here again, social media takes centre stage. One specific platform, which I still spend more time on than I’d like, has become something of a cesspit in recent years…:

“Rwy’n agor X, a’r hen gri

hiliol, wen, sydd o ‘mlaen-i.

Finnau’n driw i wefan drodd

yn uffern. Amser diffodd.

Hwn yw’r cawdel lle gwelir

wisgo gau yn masg y gwir,

y dweud gwâr sy’n ddweud o’i go;

geiriau sy’n arf i guro.

Ond bydd straeon yn cronni,

yma mewn awr, mi wn i,

yn dod fel un at ffrwd flêr.

Ac eto, af i’w gwter.”

“I open X, and before me

Is the same white racist cry.

I remain loyal to a website that became

hell. Time to switch off.

This is the fiery pit where one sees

dishonesty masked as truth,

The less than civilised responses which use;

words as a weapon with which to beat others.

But stories will gather,

here in an hour, I know,

I’ll come as one would approach a filthy stream.

And again, I’ll descend into the gutter.”

As I mentioned earlier in this review, “Trochi” truly does have something for everyone. If you haven’t read it yet, I can’t recommend it highly enough. I’m very much looking forward to Carwyn Eckley’s next collection of work.

Trochi by Carwyn Eckley is published by Gwasg Carreg Gwalch. It is available from all good bookshops.