ABSORBING THE DARK Beryl Baigent Goderich (Ont.), Moonstone Press, 1990. 78pp, paper, $8.95 ISBN 0-920259-30-8. CIP Adult Reviewed by Pat Bolger. Volume 19 Number 3 1991 May The second title in Moonstone's handsomely produced series "Poets of Southwestern Ontario," Absorbing the Dark may deceive poetry browsers with its charming pink cover and water-colour mandala; the rather delicate exterior hides some tough reading. The forty or so poems arc divided into four sections ("The Great Goddess," "Woman as Power Channel," "Woman as Crone/Dragon" and "Woman as Sacred Vessel"), each introduced by a brief outline of its mythological back­ground. Celtic deities such as Crierwy, Blodeuedd and Arianrhod provide a degree of difficulty increased by the author's argument: "Minds, likewise, were not primordially dualistic, but were structured to flow through changes." The poems themselves do not always carry the author's philosophical burden successfully, but young adults would enjoy those which draw on family memories, such as "Snapshot 1915" and "Celtic Treasure." Teenagers, however, are likely to tune out Baigent's more esoteric flights: And having known the beatific vision The cosmic colour of the unitive way I wallow in the pig slop of impotence... Not recommended for high school libraries, although public libraries may have adult readers who are familiar with the poet's work in anthologies and a half dozen previous collections - and are receptive to her feminist philosophy. Pat Bolger, Renfrew, Ont.