Desire Lines

Heather Doody teaches in the English Department of Sir Wilfred Grenfell
College at the Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Desire Lines is a collection of poems that document the poet’s deep
desire for temporary escape. In order to break away from the stresses
that accompany his role as a clinical social worker, Downie attempts to
put his skepticism aside and travels to “cliché Europe,” only to
find the pietа behind glass and his own reflection gracing every
exhibit. Freshly laundered white linens are unable to erase the ghosts
of Dachau and the stresses he tried to leave behind simply take on
different forms in Europe: “My sad expertise / shadows me even here /
a black thread / for friends to pull on / unravelling fears.”

The influence of artists such as Paul Klee and M.C. Escher are apparent
in Downie’s fascination with patterns and the shifting of perspective.
Often he emulates the patterns of Escher in his own work, making
historical figures and events intertwine with his own personal history
until one flows into the next. In terms of perspective, it becomes clear
that “imposing” frames of reference must be removed in order to see
all possibilities. In “The fattest man in Switzerland,” he says of a
photograph he takes: “[it] gave us nothing / of scale or / which way
was up or / what we were seeing save strange / possibilities.”

Though most of the poems are similar in pace and rhythm, “Don’t
Forget to Write” stands out from the rest as especially inventive; it
bends boundaries and plays with language in a way that is refreshing and
entertaining.

Taken as a whole, Desire Lines may not be groundbreaking, but
Downie’s masterful use of metaphor alone makes it an enjoyable and
worthwhile read.