Short Merton Poems

“….it is a sea of Love which flows through the One Body....”
  Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation.

The sea of Love
fills my lungs
courses through
open fingers
warms glowing
heart, pulses
blood-lines
through diaphanous 
skin.

In in the surge
of mother-sea
I wait
and grow
and emerge 
into who
will be....

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“It is that life itself, fully awake, fully active, 
fully aware that it is alive. It is spiritual wonder.”
Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation

+++++++++++++++

Dark rain penetrates
tender leaves, swells spirits, sparks
dormant roots to life.

Like a god, Your star
ascends; with wonder and grace
shines Your mighty face!...

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. for public domain

Fourth and Walnut, so fine, so chic,
what a place for God to speak,
or for that matter, Satan too.
Both would like a word or two.

So Merton opened up his soul,
as if standing on a knoll
in his Kentucky, US of A,
offered up his heart that day.

God's Love came pouring like a stream,
drowning Satan's evil scheme,
and Merton went out with the tide,
to choose the better life inside....

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‘No clock: only the Heart’s blood. Only the word.”
“I think poetry must, 
I think it must, 
Stay open all night 
In beautiful cellars”    Thomas Merton, A Book of Hours
          ***

High round windows
over wide glass doors
fill with night;

The world’s gone to black, 
to void, 
to nothing.

Can you hear your whispering blood?
- surge of surf, wind in dark trees
alive - alive -

so arise now and go
down the noisy steps
to the beautiful cellar,

to the poetry....

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