Religious hypocrisy
One of the main driving forces in Merton's poetry is a vitriolic anger against those who use the cause of Christ and the Gospel to submit others to their own will. This means those clergymen who go into the ministry because they want to be in a position of power. In poems like "Notes for a New Clergy," he uses images of sacrilege, such as chicken feathers on an alter, as a way of indicating just how abominable Merton thinks hypocrisy really is.
The overwhelming beauty of God
Not surprisingly, Merton, having been educated both in ministry and mysticism, often writes beautiful painstaking depictions of the glory of God as experienced through life and nature. He often uses brilliant naturalistic depictions of God.
Redemption
Merton's poetry is undeniably tethered to his understanding of redemption. In the "Legend of St. Clement," he calls to the prophets and the martyrs, encouraging the that the day of the Lord is coming when the death and disorder of the universe is finally fixed. This theme of redemption is integrally linked to his metaphors and literary devices.
