Moving Through Darkness. (Book Reviews).

Moving Through Darkness by H. Nigel Thomas. Published by AFO Enterprises, 83 pages, 1 999. I S B N 0-920933-10-6 $13.95

H. Nigel Thomas' first collection of poems, Moving Through Darkness, is an inspiring collection of poems that has something for every reader. The collection is divided into six sections: Biomythography -- 14 poems, Portraits - 9 poems, --Isms -- 17 poems, Mind-Eye Observations -- 10 poems, Desire -- 4 poems, and Things Numinal and Otherwise -- 9 poems. These demarcations present different poetic angles of vision, and deal with a variety of themes that coalesce into a cynical worldview.

'Biomythography' takes us through a psychological as well as geographical journey through the persona's childhood development. Journeying into self as self relates to time, space, and place, provides those elements of mythologizing that characterise growth from childhood to manhood. 'The return' is the first poem in this section and is an energetic poem that takes a defiant and definitive stance. The persona establishes who he is. The opening line, "I've come," not only establishes forcefully his return, but lays claim to the space on this familiar terrain where as a boy he spilled himself(masturbated) There is an element of sacrifice here within the wordplay spilling, and this image carries through on the canvas before us. The dangerous and tidal lives of the village men and women are captured in references to the Atlantic, death by drowning, the women washing their clothes at the river and the men drinking at the rum shop.

"Georgetown Cemetery' is ascerbic and irreverent. It satirises a pastor who carries a Coleman lamp to drive away spirits. The pastor's sermon on damnation and destruction underlines the impending doom of religious recalcitrants, apostates and those who fail to repent. The black sand road layered with volcanic ash parallels the erosion and blackness of men's souls. The proximity of the hospital and cemetery is suggestive of the hospital producing death instead of promoting health and wellness. Congruently, school, the persona implies, kills thoughts and ideas.

The section Portraits examines the essential nature of being 'human.' The poet intimates that comparatively speaking humans are no different in nature from the lower order biological species such as 'roaches, rabbits and rats' (p.22). There is a baseness that is associated with man in his proclivity for 'power, passion, greed/even compassion' ('We Call It Human,' p. 23). This initial questioning of man's nature continues throughout this section and paints a sardonic and ironic picture of life. Josephine's beauty deserts her until she is unable to recognise her 'x-beauty queen' face (p.26). Marie-Bleu's life of ease, wealth and luxury deteriorates through Alzheimer's disease, into nothingness.

The section 'Isms' revolves around themes of power slavery, exploitation, North-South relations, racism, war, and colonial attitudes to Blacks, referred to as 'my people' through nine poems. The persona's harshest criticism and most scathing attacks on geopolitical power are evident in this section. The nature of power in its absolute sense, involves "the shedding of blood" for the "remission of sins"(p.32).

"The Empire Writes Back (To Whom? For What?)" depicts how the World Bank/IMF perpetuate and exert neo-colonial control over the underdeveloped countries of the world, swallowing whole countries by drowning them in credit. The cynic's eye is at work in "north-South where empty words flow from North to South and power and money shift from South to North. Nine poems called "My People" continue to examine cultural expropriation, colonial abuse and the changing faces of Black identity.

In 'Mind-Eye Observations,' the poet displays irreverence for the venerable: "the cathedral's trinitarian cock/perennially awaits/divine copulation ('See,' p.54), the sacramental wafer becomes "god-meat" ('Sacrament,' p. 58), and the celebrants are stiff and skeletal. This peevish jocularity reminds us that we must not take ourselves too seriously since we have no privileged place in the scheme of things. Rot, decay, nothingness and a false sense of being important are constant reminders of man's nothingness.

In the section 'Desire,' the poet treats the theme of being gay with a candid questioning of middle-aged gay men who seem unable to find lovers. Again, the persona mocks the middle-aged men who seem to be nothing but "flesh consumers," incapable of giving affection in the reversal of roles from being young to being mere "excrescences" in the ageing process. Their waning looks and their inability to express their feelings, leave them lonely and with "deep pain" ('Loneliness,' p. 71).

The final section of the collection, 'Things Numinal and Otherwise' resonates with mockery. The poet satirises those who would go to Africa to free themselves of the "fouler aspects of the psyche." only to "return toting heavier burdens" ('Hearts of Darkness,' p. 82). What is suggested is that much of what man carries around or searches for is within his being.

As in his fiction, Thomas uses language sparingly and quite often effectively in this collection of poems. Images and wordplay heighten the meaning of the poems and dramatise man's futility in most of his endeavours. The poems' pessimistic qualities derive from a questioning of what is real or imagined. The poet dares us to examine our beliefs, our position in the universe and the relevance of our being above that of other creatures. The final poem is a summary of this philosophy. The persona asks us to gather the light within our darkness unless we believe that our light is the one "for all humanity" (p.83), in which case we will remain in total darkness. The ambivalence here sets up the paradox that is the essence of Moving Through Darkness.

Horace I. Goddard is a Montreal writer. His most recent published work is Paradise Revisited, a novel, published by Winston-Derek Ltd, 1997.