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“When in the Soul of the Serene Disciple” by Thomas Merton 🇺🇸 (31 Jan 1915 – 10 Dec 1968)
When in the soul of the serene disciple
With no more Fathers to imitate
Poverty is a success,
It is a small thing to say the roof is gone:
He has not even a house.
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Stars, as well as friends,
Are angry with the noble ruin.
Saints depart in several directions.
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Be still:
There is no longer any need of comment.
It was a lucky wind
That blew away his halo with his cares,
A lucky sea that drowned his reputation.
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Here you will find
Neither a proverb nor a memorandum.
There are no ways,
No methods to admire
Where poverty is no achievement.
His God lives in his emptiness like an affliction.
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What choice remains?
Well, to be ordinary is not a choice:
It is the usual freedom
Of men without visions.