Category Archives: Thomas (R. S.)

In Honor of a Nonagenarian

By Robin Bates | Published: September 26, 2018

My mother turned 93 yesterday so I share this moving R. S. Thomas poem on visiting a woman turning 90.

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A Hermit of the Rocks, Wind & Mist

By Robin Bates | Published: May 25, 2014

R. S. Thomas’s powerful poem “Sea-Watching” compares waiting for the Holy Spirit with bird watching.

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Magnificent Women in the Sick Room

By Robin Bates | Published: August 22, 2013

Tolstoy shows us deathbed vigils can spur us to a deeper engagement with life.

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For My Father’s 90th Birthday

By Robin Bates | Published: June 13, 2013

I celebrate my father’s 90th birthday today with R. S. Thomas’ rich poem about visiting a 90-year-old woman.

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Reach Out, Like Thomas, into the Darkness

By Robin Bates | Published: April 15, 2012

R. S. Thomas’s poem about religious doubt calls for a leap of faith in the midst of darkness.

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