Thomas Merton used to hide out in anonymous city churches to be alone with God.
City churches, even or especially if ugly, but hopefully aglow with candlelight. He write of the impossible posture of the statures, they somehow helped Merton be nameless and in that secret place with The Father. He liked to find solitude in them. He spoke of needing these places without the pull of needs or even presence of man, to find that nameless deep place in Himself where he just was dwelling with The Father. I relate to that need to find places outside the roar of voices where we meet all of humankind in silence and the love of God. I like that space actually, even though i am an extrovert and really like people. Probably more than Merton did. My poems are all written in people, and I’m ok with that. The love of God contains all the other things we actually need in life.