[Kramer is an American educator and critic. In the following excerpt from his study Thomas Merton he focuses on Merton's portrayal of contemporary man in Collected Poems.]

Collected Poems, a thousand-page volume, [includes new poems that were unpublished at the time of Merton's death.] These new poems do not exhibit startling changes in technique, yet there are several points to be noted; interesting is the fact that Merton continued to experiment with various techniques. Thus, while many of his final shorter poems are conventional, others, especially the prose-poems, are unusual. Two characteristics stand out about the lyrics in this final collection. Merton includes many personal pieces in which he seems almost horrified at what he sees reflected about contemporary man, who remains unaware of his need for contemplation; but Merton is also able to attain distance, and even to laugh. This is so because he sees many connections between his life and others, while he also seems to realize that his poetry means much more to him than it ever can for others. Both "The Originators" and "With the World in My Bloodstream" bring this point home (these are the first two poems in the collection). There is a kind of lightness in many of these poems, even though Merton's view of the contemporary world (and history) is sometimes almost frightening. His title poem "A Song: Sensation Time at the Home" also exemplifies this. This poet certainly realizes that poetry will have little immediate effect—especially upon readers who are caught up only in their own sensations. This is the world of Cables where

      Experts control
      Spasms
      Fight ennui
      While giant smiles and minds
      Relax limits
      Save $ $ $ $ $.

It is a world which seems to be in large part lost, yet more important it is one about which the poet speaks kindly, with wit and irony, even though man seems to have given up by giving in. "A Tune for Festive Dances in the Nineteen Sixties," about man's loss of identity, is a related poem. "Man the Master" amplifies the same themes, but again in a humorous way. Man seems so busy that he has forgotten about himself, as self:

        Here he comes
        Bursting with individuals
        All his beliefs fat and clean….
        With innumerable wits and plans
        Nations and names problems and resolutions.

In some of these poems there exists a consistent note close to disgust. Poems such as "Picture of a Black Child with a White Doll" and "Man the Master" illustrate this. Yet it is important to realize that while there is such a somber quality, even close to bitterness, there is as well a lightness to balance it. Thus, on the one hand, Merton can provide a gaiety, yet on the other he will not bring himself to stop thinking about the distortions of contemporary man. The poet smiles, but he cannot forget his "First Lessons About Man" which are that

      Man begins in zoology
      He is the saddest animal
      He drives a big red car
      Called anxiety….

Somewhat the same must be observed about the three prose-poems which close this collection. All treat man's misuse of language, the twisting of language to his selfish benefit, not for the benefit of others, yet all of these prose-poems are also presented with distance and humor which makes it possible for Merton's compassion to shine through. These three prose-poems which conclude "Sensation Time" are further indications of the writer's interests toward the very end of his career. "Plessy vs Ferguson: Theme and Variations" might be compared to the noise of Cables since in both language seems often to be used to obscure rather than to clarify. This is a study, above all, in the abuse of language. "Rites for the Extrusion of a Leper" implies that the Church itself can be guilty of language abuse. Merton's point is that civil government and the church continue to find ways to arrange meaning for their own benefit.

The last prose-poem, "Ben's Last Fight" apparently means many things. It seems to be an autobiographical poem, and it also is a statement by Merton about poetic technique. Father Louis is saying that he has learned that he can now relax. Fights with rules, with language, with the changing concerns of the world of man, are interesting, but ultimately of little lasting import; yet words can help man to remember such facts, too.

Victor A. Kramer, in his Thomas Merton, Twayne Publishers, 1984, 164 p.