8 thoughts on “A Walk by Rainer Maria Rilke”

1. I stumbled upon you while I was looking for a quote from Rilke. I saw it in a book recently and had forgotten how much I love his poetry and his thoughts. “I live my life in growing orbits” was the beginning and It was new to me so set out to find it in its totality:)
   Am absolutely in love with the last line because I also wonder if I’m a falcon, a storm, or a great song…. probably all three at times.
   Have never sent a comment on one of these pages..so this is a first.
   Nice to meet you.

   Reply

   • Thank you, Christine. Rilke is a very special poet and I’m glad you found the poem/line you were looking for while stumbling upon me.

     Reply

     • It occurs to me that “stumbling upon you” is quite a funny phrase. I’m sure we would rather have people come looking for us but serendipity works too.
       As a word man, I send you a word I love….murmuration.
       By the way, teaching is tough! As a media specialist/librarian/teacher for the last 20 years, I can tell you that it has become even tougher. U.S. public education is under attack from those who would love to see it fail and private entities take over. But that’s a much longer conversation.
       Hope Istanbul is treating you well.
       From Indiana and the heartland,
       Chris

     • Turkey has been good for me but it’s time to come home. Family & friends are all aging, as am I, and I want to spend more time with them before we ll go stumbling off to that great beyond. And having taught & run language programs in both the US and Turkey, I would much rather be in the US involved in education. It’s much kore rewarding where you are.

     • I suppose I have to take your word for that…I’m retiring at the end of this year. Librarians are no longer valued much in the school systems and when I retire, they will replace me with a layperson who has no background in library science or education. Budgets are tight although they can still find money for coaches and athletics.
       a piece of a poem has been going through my mind and it took me a while to remember where it came from. I haven’t read the poem since college. I won’t tell you who it is, because you will most likely know immediately…… I must be layering the poem upon my retirement in some way.

       It was a day like any other one
       but such a crowd of pigeons in the air;
       I was someone good, young, going away.
       I felt sad and clean
       and sad because of having learnt something
       and not yet knowing what.
       I drank some vodka to my friends
       and strolled through Zima Junction one more time.
       It was a day like any other one

       I imagine in my mind’s eye that Turkey must have crowds of pigeons in the air.
       circling minarets…
       Chris

     • Seagulls are what I see most often, perhaps because here in Istanbul and other coastal cities I’ve been in there is sea. I like that bit of a poem. I’m afraid I can’t place it.

     • Yevgeny Yevtushenko…a Russian poet. He wrote this after a visit to Zima Junction, his hometown. It’s a lengthy poem. For some reason I am captured by the words ” But such a crowd of pigeons in the air”
       I can’t explain it.

     • I remember Yevtushenko. Haven’t read him in a long time but that’s a fine line to be captivated by, Christine.

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