Kyrie
Because we cannot be clever and honest
and are inventors of things more intricate
than the snowflake—Lord have mercy.Because we are full of pride
in our humility, and because we believe
in our disbelief—Lord have mercy.Because we will protect ourselves
from ourselves to the point
of destroying ourselves—Lord have mercy.And because on the slope to perfection,
when we should be half-way up,
we are half-way down—Lord have mercy.
R.S. Thomas, Mass for Hard Times
Thomas has not been on my radar as a poet. This one blew me away (there’s a great deal more to it), as did Tell Us