Darkness and Silence

Susan McKnight is an administrator of the Courts Technology Integrated Justice Project at the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General.

The name of this book is taken from a poem by Robinson Jeffers, an
outspoken, passionate American poet from the early half of the 20th
century. Like Jeffers, Bowling has the ability to write about nature and
life in a powerful style that creates vivid images and provokes thought.
Still, there is a gentleness that softens some of the more painful
experiences.

The book is divided into four parts. Part 1 deals mainly with family
matters, including the poet’s childhood, his relationship with his
father, and his experiences in the salmon-fishing environs of British
Columbia. It is an emotional time-travel voyage through his memories.
Part 2 consists of tributes to such writers as Al Purdy and Willa
Cather. Again, powerful language and an almost musical quality bring
these people to life. Part 3 involves his everyday life. Here he turns
washing the dishes into something lyrical and life-inspiring:
“Delicately poised / between origin and grave / I find, in this small
task, / the peace of what I have / and what I’ll someday lose.” Part
4 comes closest to a comparison with Jeffers. In the animal kingdom,
Bowling finds life affirmations and death realizations, which he treats
with tenderness, understanding, and acceptance. Some of the images are
violent and stark; however, his mastery of the English language curbs
the harshness while managing to impart the necessary message.

Tim Bowling has published three other books of poetry, which garnered
him several awards, including first prize in the League of Canadian
Poets’ National Poetry contest. He has written one novel, Downriver
Drift, and is currently working on two more novels.