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Why We Walk: Reflections from El Camino de Santiago
Some walk for wisdom while others for fun,
Some walk for relief while others for sun.
We each keep our own pace on the camino,
Some fast, some slow, all look for some free vino.
Through the rain and sun, through the heat and cold,
We all press onward, a staff in our hold.
Each step we take follows one before us,
And leads for one who walks in our dust.
Our image is carved into every stone,
Along these routes the pilgrim is well-known.
We depend on shell and yellow arrows,
To guide us on the straight and narrows.
From hamlets to glades and pastures to towns,
We walk through them all, cow shit sure abounds.
To pass the long days we sing and we dance,
Our voices are sure to garner a glance.
Though we may carry very different weights,
All hold burdens we wish to leave at these gates.
The cathedral beckons her brave pilgrims,
Tolling her bell and with each ring she hums:
‘O Santiago blessed be your name,
Watch over your pilgrims and ease their pain.’
Our skin is blistered, our muscles are strained,
Though we have lost much, there’s so much we gained.
And though we each have cause for why we walk,
We soon discover that as we talk,
We all want to forget the world and its fuss,
And uncover something new about us.
-AMH
