264 And in the following Prayer, he holds up to ridicule the Biblical concept of transcending all material concerns: Let me be, 0 Lord the Camel of the Higher Income Group who passes smoothly through the eye of that needle. And again in Poster Prayer NOo 11, he renders his own version of the Blakean "Song of Experience" -- the ceaseless vascillation between fantasy and reality, theory and practice. In fact, there is hardly any prayer that does not carry a sting in the tail, a brusque return to stark reality that will not allow itself to be camouflaged by inane self-deception. And so Ezekiel prays: 0 well, if you insist, I'll do your will. Please try to make it coincide with mine. In some of these poems, Ezekiel's diction and expression tend to become rather cerebral -- his innate penchant for abstract philosophizing remains irrepressible. He refers to "my particular areas of concern," to his moral lapses as "venal and as vulnerable," and to "the surprises of your compassion." How should one assess these Prayers which seem to constitute a distinctly new genre of poetry for him? One need not here look for ingenious metaphor, subtle manipulation of the resources of language, or vibrant creative imagination, There is unmistakable creativitiy here, though of a different order. In these poems one encounters dramatic juxtaposition of polarities which carry one straight to the core of human experience, shorn of all poetic embellishmentsc Here is, therefore, a new kind of authenticity that moves one with its forthright directnesSo Ezekiel rightly distrusts obscurity in every form, and so every genuine prayer emerges from the depths of his experience and seeks expression through simple diction and lucid metaphors (e.g.,, "follies . . c fresh as flowers," and the urge of the free self to "fly with the sparrow.") In forging a new medium for his poetic communication, Ezekiel has added a new dimension to his poetryo If his Poster Prayers come through successfully, it is because they articulate his real self. "The prayers, I feel, are in my true voice, even when not poetry of a high or even moderately high order." They embody alt his distinctive attitudes and values, "I consider the Poster Poems and the Poster Prayers, taken together, as a suitable expression of a phase in my poetic career^ I would be less happy if something of this kind had not happened to me."