El Padre

Larry D. Thomas

May 2016 · vacpoetry

About this ebook

In this "mini-novel in verse," Larry D. Thomas explores the doubts, internal conflicts, and deep religious yearnings of El Padre, the young Catholic priest of a small parish located in La Frontera, the borderlands region of far West Texas near the Rio Grande River separating Texas from Mexico. Although ostensibly examining the anxieties and epiphanies of the young priest, the collection simultaneously probes the "spiritual" bounty of the flora of the Great Chihuahuan Desert and the ancient cultural heritage of Mexico. 

Ratings and reviews

Larry D. Thomas has become a master of the compact, unified chapbook, and "El Padre" exemplifies the skill with which Thomas crafts poems in this genre. This priest on la frontera (the border) between far West Texas and Mexico struggles to reconcile the powerful certainties of Catholic doctrine with his awareness of his own sinfulness. Such internal conflict leads to a nightmare that "sometimes comes, bleeding / into El Padre's psyche / like black ink into a blotter." Thomas also effectively uses elements of the region's Chihuahuan desert, such as the thorns on native shrubs like cholla and ocotillo, to reinforce religious imagery, in this case Christ's crown of thorns. Highly recommended.

EL PADRE is a collaborative effort between Thomas and his wife Lisa, whose stunning photographs of thorny Southwestern flora visually set the tone for this character study in verse. In the first section, “The Pivotal Moment,” we learn how the eponymous priest recognized his calling, inspired by an exorcist uncle and the mystery of the Eucharist. With a sure hand, Thomas draws stunning parallels between the blooms of thorny cacti and Catholic iconography such as crosses and Christ’s wounds. The second section, “In the Lake of Fire,” explores the darker side of priesthood: the doubts that plague the young Latino priest, the temptation that comes from the lovely Esperanza as she uncovers middling transgressions, the weight of the real sins of his parishioners: “human, unconfessable.” But ultimately, the priest (in the third and final section, “Each Sacred Syllable”) finds transcendence and purpose in the various reveries and visions that accompany his work, which Thomas reveals with masterful metaphors “swirling / in the chalice / of his soul.”

About the author

Larry D. Thomas, who grew up in Midland, Texas, on the northeastern fringe of the Great Chihuahuan Desert, moved back to the desert in 2011 after residing for forty-four years in Houston, Texas. Among his poetry collections inspired by his reverence for the Great Chihuahuan Desert are Amazing Grace (Texas Review Press 2001); Where Skulls Speak Wind (Texas Review Press 2004); Stark Beauty (Timberline Press 2005); The Red, Candlelit Darkness (El Grito del Lobo Press 2011, republished online in 2013 by Right Hand Pointing); Far: West Texas (Right Hand Pointing 2011); The Goatherd (Mouthfeel Press 2014); Art Museums (Blue Horse Press 2014); Los Días de Los Muertos (Right Hand Pointing 2015); Jake & Violet (Right Hand Pointing 2016) and The Innkeeper (forthcoming from Mouthfeel Press in 2016). Thomas, a member of the Texas Institute of Letters, was privileged to serve as the 2008 Texas Poet Laureate. His As If Light Actually Matters: New & Selected Poems was published in 2015 by Texas Review Press (Member, Texas A&M University Press Consortium). He resides in Alpine, Texas, with his wife, Lisa, and two Long-haired Chihuahuas, Piñon and Pecos. 

Lisa P. Thomas, DDS, has enjoyed photography for several years. Her credits include Amazing Grace (Texas Review Press, 2001), Where Skulls Speak Wind (Texas Review Press, 2004), Stark Beauty (Timberline Press, 2005), The Fraternity of Oblivion (Timberline Press, 2008), Far (West Texas) (e-chapbook/Right Hand Pointing, 2011), Art Museums (Blue Horse Press, 2014), and The Innkeeper (forthcoming from Mouthfeel Press, El Paso, Texas).