Dismantling

A day for returning our places to normality - and how drab and austere they look! As I schlepped down to the pool at 7.40 this morning the town Christmas tree was still lit up; when I returned an hour or so later the council workmen were dismantling it. I spent the morning dismantling my own tree before doing the same to the creche and the Advent wreath in church. And then I sat down to dip into one of my Christmas books, R.S.Thomas:Poetry and Theology by William V. Davis. In the opening chapter, "Poetry in theological crisis", I read this:

Religion has to do ...with vision, revelation, and these are best told of in poetry ... Jesus was a poet ... In another sense, he is God's metaphor ... [And] how shall we attempt to describe or express ultimate reality except through metaphor or symbol? (R.S.T. "A Frame for Poetry")

I have only begun to read the book, but it looks fascinating, in the detailed way that a real devotee of the poems can enjoy. But when I read the above, I felt - just a bit - pleased. Take a look at this poem and see why. And while you're at it, there's a new poem here.