BRIDGES BEYOND SILENCE

by Dr. Mario Silva

Bridges Beyond Silence is a powerful debut poetry collection by Canadian author Dr. Mario Silva.

🇵🇹 Also available in Portuguese: Pontes Além do Silêncio

About the Book

Bridges Beyond Silence is a collection of poems shaped around three arcs, From Indifference to Love, Release into Grace, and Justice Transfigured, that move from the quiet ache of belonging toward the possibility of compassion.

Drawing on his life between the Azores and Canada, and between public service and inner reflection, Dr. Mario Silva writes with the clarity of one who has witnessed both the fractures and the resilience of the human spirit. His poems explore how love endures across migration, how memory shapes identity, and how justice transforms when grounded in empathy.

At once intimate and expansive, personal and political, this accomplished debut moves fluidly between inner landscapes and global realities. It invites readers to listen—to the silences between words, to the echoes of history, and to the enduring call of hope that connects us across time and place.

A Poetic Exploration Of:

About the Author

DR. MARIO SILVA, PhD (Law), is an international legal scholar, author, and former Member of the Parliament of Canada. Born in the Azores and based in Toronto, he has served as Canada’s Chair and diplomat to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), Vice-Chair of the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, and is a Distinguished Fellow at Toronto Metropolitan University. He has been honoured with national orders from France, Portugal, and Brazil for his contributions to public service and human rights.

Product Details

Format: Paperback

Genre: Poetry

Publisher: Mosaic Press

Language: English

ISBN: 9781771618847

Pages: 236 pages

Dimensions: 6 x 9 inches

Price $ 24.95 CDN | $21.95 USD

Continue Exploring

If you were drawn to the themes of migration and belonging in Bridges Beyond Silence, you may also be interested in:

• 🇵🇹Flight Path Home: Stories of Family, Migration, and Belonging by Steven M. Silva

You might also be interested in:

• More books by Dr. Mario Silva
• Browse contemporary poetry collections
  
• Explore books on identity and migration

Read a Passage

Bridges Beyond Silence

I’ve danced through winter’s veils of light,
Not steel but starlit night that gleams—
Portugal’s whispers, soft and bright,
Kiss maple leaves in twilight’s dreams.

In São Miguel’s arms, I traced my way,
Volcanic psalms and ocean’s song,
Truth blooming pure in salt-stirred spray,
Where boats sing dawn the whole night long.

Then Canada called from across the foam,
With whispered dreams of distant shore.
I learned to waltz in winter’s dome,
Warm hands defying Arctic’s roar.

Yet islands pulse within my heart,
Through concrete flows the ancient lore.
These bridges cross with sacred art—
Father’s touch on foreign shore.

Bridges span banks of years,
Arc over oceans, hopes, and dreams—
Sunday calls through mother’s tears:
‘Meu filho, remember to pray and dream—
Does your heart still carry the light I’ve seen?’

For bridges cross beyond earth’s doors;
They arch across the lives we’ve worn—
Island boy from distant shores
To man in Canadian light reborn.

Home’s an art we learned to weave,
Songs held close, though dreams depart,
Northern skies that we receive,
Where old world meets the beating heart.

Home’s more than any single door;
Each tale becomes our truest friend—
Each silence bridged, each truth we store,
Where memories bloom and stories blend.

FAQ

What is Bridges Beyond Silence about?
It is a poetry collection exploring love, exile, and justice through the lens of migration, memory, and identity.

Who should read this book?
It is suited for readers of contemporary poetry, as well as those interested in human rights, cultural identity, and personal reflection.

What makes this book unique?
It brings together a lifetime of public service and personal insight, offering a poetic perspective shaped by international experience and human rights work.