Title: Spiritual Heirlooms
Author: Ralph Bowers
Publisher: Workbook Press
ISBN: 979-8952064010
Pages: 128
Genre: Religious Poetry
Reviewer: Christa Hill
Pacific Book Review
Spiritual Heirlooms is a book of poems and prose that weave together images and ideas which speak to the inner world of the reader. It flows in a stream of consciousness style that begs the reader to look inward rather than conjure the images as pieces of reality. In one poem we read about a goddess that comes in like a scarf and in another about a woman that might also be a mist. The ethereal ideas are tough on emotions, wishes, desires and other intangible things that we all as human beings have experienced without full understanding.
Some of the poems are a bit more haunting than others, for example Deep Dark Pool has a gothic romance style and frightening edge that Light Me Up does not have. Author Ralph Bowers is able to show progression from darkness to light and fear to love that is not exposed in a true narrative format while still offering a story arc. The moving way that he likens sleep and peace makes death and darkness seem like a vacation from nightmares and hatred. Spiritual Heirlooms as a non-narrative fiction leaves lots of room for interpretation and reflection. While it is not clear what intentions the author had when he wrote the book, it is clear he hoped to transmit some piece of his spiritual knowledge into the world.
Son of Man was a lovely string of rhymes that reveals the person of Jesus for those that know the story of the son of man. At times there is a sense these spiritual heirlooms are not rooted in any one spiritual practice but rather they are meant to speak to any person that acknowledges they have a soul.
At the start of the book, it was a bit difficult to relate to some of the fluid images and snippets of emotions that seemed to be untethered to anything in particular. However, as the poems continue there is a sense of harmony in the Bowers way of expressing himself. The addition of background information about the author also helps to connect more strongly with the experience which each poem takes us through.
The notes of loss and emotional evacuation are evident in Spiritual Heirlooms and most run like the bars of a song or the slowly unraveling thread of a garment. They are well worn, meaningful and still mainly sad. This style is very similar to the tone of long gone poets whose ideas have changed how we see ourselves, writing, and even how we connect with art. Ralph Bowers makes a lasting impression with his writing and it is clear that he is no stranger to expressing himself through words. These poems serve as reminders that faith can become one of life’s most meaningful and lasting legacies.
