For the Sake of a Single Poem: a Benedictine monk’s meditations on Rilke

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Walking piece details

These echoes cover a 20 year period in the life of my mentor, Mark Thamert, OSB. They’re culled from intimate conversations. convocations, and end-of-life talks with him. All underscoring and compositions are my own creative response to the depths Mark awakened in me through the poetry of Rilke.

I welcome you to walk with Mark as he shares insights into the life of the German poet, Rainer Maria Rilke. As you listen as you walk, a distinct thread will begin to emerge; a thread that takes themes, metaphors and archetypes found in Rilke’s poetry and connects them with a visceral “sense of place” that is present here in the various sculpture gardens, historic buildings, and beautiful woodlands and lakes found at Saint John’s Abbey and University.