The making of a poem is like the making of a pearl – you take something gritty and create a jewel. Pearl, George Bowering’s final book of poetry, layers itself around a promise he made to himself that he would write a poem about his mother, Pearl Bowering – a hillbilly, athlete, and champion bridge player. This promised poem anchors a book about the grit of life and what poetry can make from it, raucously sprawling, always in search of the next glimmering insight, tugging at different threads with multifarious big-heartedness. Touching, ribald, and cheeky, Pearl reflects on a life well-lived and well-written.