God declines to endorse the work of his saints
Whoever they are.
We know the stories of the persecuted disciples
And murdered messiah.
Redemption is one thing.
I’m talking about the ones who die
On airplanes, oops, and other accidents.
Those who die for nothing,
Who were making real progress
In God’s work on earth. Those whose demise
Were provocation for atheists. Thomas Merton
Who was pulling taut the thread that bound
the exposed fringes of Catholicism around
the exposed fringes of Buddhism died
In a shower in Thailand
Of a crazy electrocution when he slipped and grabbed
A badly wired fan.
So stupid
Many have had to believe it was murder, even suicide
Would be better than this—O, God. O, God
Of love who doesn’t need us, ever quick
To let us know, although he's always talking
He’s never saying anything
In words.
