You're walking in the forest. You find a semi-abandoned hut and sit down at the table. After drinking a glass of water and quickly meditating, you open up your notebook. The page is empty.

Thomas Merton, you tell your notebook.

Thomas Merton was a Trappist Monk, it responds - You may have already read his famous book "The Seven Storey Mountain" which your friend Josef cited in this viral tweet. Merton shared your interests in contemplative practice, Blake, Rilke, and Eastern spirituality.

It also shows you pictures of Thomas Merton, his abbey, and a history of each time Merton comes up in your notes.

Forgetting what the Trappists are all about, you tap on that word. Your notebook responds with a few pictures of Trappist abbeys and the following text:

The Trappist Order, formally known as the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, is a monastic community that emphasizes a life of prayer, manual labor, and silence, rooted in the Rule of St. Benedict. Trappists live in simplicity, dedicating themselves to contemplation and communal living, with a strong focus on inner spiritual growth and detachment from worldly distractions. The order values solitude, humility, and self-sufficiency, with monks often engaging in farming or artisanal work to sustain their communities. Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk at the Abbey of Gethsemani, deeply embraced these values, and his writings reflect the spiritual depth and contemplative focus that the Trappist way of life fosters.

Right. You tap on the word Blake. Your notebook responds with a link to Merton's essay on William Blake, the poems by Blake that you've read, and says:

Merton admired Blake not only as a poet and artist but also as a mystic who challenged conventional religious and societal norms. Merton saw in Blake a kindred spirit who sought to reveal deeper spiritual truths through art and poetry.

In his book "Literary Essays," Merton wrote about Blake in a piece titled "William Blake: Prophet of the Heart." Merton appreciated Blake's visionary and prophetic qualities, particularly Blake's critique of institutionalized religion and his emphasis on the primacy of the human spirit and imagination. Merton shared Blake's concern with the dangers of materialism and the loss of spiritual depth in modern society.

You ask for two poems that express those concerns.

The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke