THE DEEPENING OF THE COLOURS. Fox, Gail. Ottawa, Oberon Press, c1986. 83pp, paper, ISBN 0-88750-631-3 (cloth) $17.95, 0-88750-632-1 (paper) $9.95. Grades 12 and up Reviewed by Pat Bolger Volume 15 Number 3 1987 May A former editor of Quarry, Gail Fox has published a half dozen collections of poetry since 1969, and contributed to literary journals and CBC's "Anthology." The forty or so poems in this collection are grouped in five sections, and reward the reader who goes back to reread a section on its own. "The Neighbour" has a dozen poems dealing with Bert, the sort of misfit who arouses sympathy and anger in equal proportions. In "Winter Storm," two longer interior monologues reflect the splintered worlds of illness and insanity. The last two sections, "The Human Condition" and "Planet Earth," are both questioning: "If/Christ were a black South African,/how could he come again?" and affirming: "That spirit sets us apart, makes us/creations in God's image. Without this spirit, we perish." The reader will be more impressed by the poet's ideas than by her craft in some poems that seem to lack the tension that distinguishes poetry from prose: It was so enchanting I thought of all the music I have loved. And Cohen's latest beautiful song: "Dance Me to the End of Love." This attractively produced sampling of Fox's work would appeal to older teenagers and adults, especially those who share her urgent concern for world peace. Pat Bolger, Renfrew C.I., Renfrew, Ont.