Poem - written about the Camino de Santiago de Compostela -

Step
      After step
               After step
                    After step –

Pilgrim footsteps on a journey -
Looking, searching, yearning -
A call from a faraway place -
So romantic, so adventurous,
so enchanting.

A scallop shell around my neck,
yellow arrows pointing the way,
an iron cross on the mountain’s peak -
Symbols and rituals tug at my imagination.

Reality strikes -
weak ankles and a heavy backpack,
the hot Spanish sun and a sunburned neck,
blistered feet and endless walking,
restless nights and unanswered prayers.

Inchoate answers, no epiphanies,
unresolved yearnings.

With the passing of time,
lessons are learned and stories are told.
The road does not end at the apostle’s tomb.
The pilgrim’s journey continues…

Step
      After step
               After step
                    After step –