malingerer
samarkand
- Time of past OR future Camino
- cf (2), de la plata, cp. (2003 -2018)
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Beautiful poem malingerer - thank you for sharing it. Ailsa's thoughts are in great company with your poetry. It would be fantastic to read more of your poetry as you walk the VdlP so when you can, please post.i hope to recommence vdlp sep this year having struggled from malaga to merida some years ago. hopefully i will fly into sevilla and then train up to merida. the poetry will be written as i go. i have one more eye op to go and then i can start to train hard. i am not a good photographer and i really liked windswepts contribution so the poems are for me and all those befuddled about not only why they go a camino but always come back to it!
I am a long way
from who I am
and even further
from who I was
who I will be
heaven knows
I wear the tattoo
of the rose
the seeker's badge
of time and space
a distant point
on the homeward race
to who I am
yours,
The Malingerer
herewith the next!Beautiful poem malingerer - thank you for sharing it. Ailsa's thoughts are in great company with your poetry. It would be fantastic to read more of your poetry as you walk the VdlP so when you can, please post.
Cheers - Jenny
herewith the next!
The swifts of High July
slice the sky with screams
sharing the air with souls
building strength to southward fly
calling me on
Part of me already waits
in a Spanish city
for my feet to join my self
whilst my guardian angel sings flamenco
Cante Jondo
to call me North
and begin again.
Enjoy!
the malingerer.
Wow - malingerer! What a wonderful poem! Thank you!
Cheers - Jenny
herewith the next!hdqay
yep! its my birthday (77) and 8 weeks to go b4 seville!
Camino I use as coin
upon my soul-journeys
I ride the rim
Dangerous
I cannot see the faces
so when I fall
as fall I must
I do not know
how Fate
will call the day.
The Malingerer.
The swifts of High July
slice the sky with screams
sharing the air with souls
building strength to southward fly
calling me on
Part of me already waits
in a Spanish city
for my feet to join my self
whilst my guardian angel sings flamenco
Cante Jondo
to call me North
and begin again.
Enjoy!
the malingerer.
i hope to recommence vdlp sep this year having struggled from malaga to merida some years ago. hopefully i will fly into sevilla and then train up to merida. the poetry will be written as i go. i have one more eye op to go and then i can start to train hard. i am not a good photographer and i really liked windswepts contribution so the poems are for me and all those befuddled about not only why they go a camino but always come back to it!
I am a long way
from who I am
and even further
from who I was
who I will be
heaven knows
I wear the tattoo
of the rose
the seeker's badge
of time and space
a distant point
on the homeward race
to who I am
yours,
The Malingerer
Wow - malingerer! What a wonderful poem! Thank you!
Cheers - Jenny
i hope to recommence vdlp sep this year having struggled from malaga to merida some years ago. hopefully i will fly into sevilla and then train up to merida. the poetry will be written as i go. i have one more eye op to go and then i can start to train hard. i am not a good photographer and i really liked windswepts contribution so the poems are for me and all those befuddled about not only why they go a camino but always come back to it!
I am a long way
from who I am
and even further
from who I was
who I will be
heaven knows
I wear the tattoo
of the rose
the seeker's badge
of time and space
a distant point
on the homeward race
to who I am
yours,
The Malingerer
Hola!
this one was written many years ago on a beach in Northern Ireland. It was a wild black night and quite in keeping with the times with a war on, trying to get a degree and obtaining a divorce all at the same time! I did NOT emerge unscathed and some wounds never heal. The reason for sharing it? Because it is one of the major reasons I have for loving Camino.I put one foot past the other and in between there are moments of peace.
And night came down
like a splintered rose
petals
of falling black
surrounding me in the blooms
of darkness
ere the light of moon
had risen
and I would that sleep
would steal so softly
without this frantic search
for keys
to close the day.
the malingerer.
FOUR weeks today and I should be in SEVILLA and yet?and now for something for august! five weeks today and i should be ensconced in my hostal!
a big hello to Jenny and hope u are having a great camino! if ever in England (the west country give me a message and will gladly put u up)
A PILGRIM BEGS
I heard a whisper in a quiet church
as I prayed for money to re-equip
and go slow a-camino
now i have a poorly hip
(and various other bits aint so hot either!!
"Love lies in your heart
and not in your boots"
it said to me
and I wondered
Should I give up backpack
take up slackpack
transport my luggage
take trains
and then i smiled
for if the rucksack be my cross
it is also my companion
It sings to me
and hugs my back
when my feet are weary
and the winds are high and stoney
lies the track
So boots and poles and sturdy sack
keep me upright when I lack love's glow
as faith grows dim
Each plays its part and does not war
So I lit another candle
and felt The Smile
for I shall go
A-Camino
and walk
another mile.
the malingerer
@malingerer, you'll be a few days ahead of me on vdlp.original plan still holds i.e bus/tren to merida n then walkies as am counting previous trip from Malaga to Merida as my stage one of the Veedlepee as i now call it! However, there is a Flamenco festival on at this time n it could be a case of the plans of mice and men! u may well be aeons ahead! take care and buen camino!
the malingerer.
Now I see that Septiembre es Flamenco festival is this year. I had been disappointed to find out that the biennial flamenco festival is not until next year. Thanks for the info.
Gutted! After only a few days I couldnt take the pain in my left knee and had to come home. Emotionally on the floor at the moment until I start to rally and come up with yet another plan! Spain is my heart and so
SEEKING
I heard an old one of Ireland say
"where the heart lies
the feet wander"
and I wonder
what cruel humour
God was in
the day the clay
was baked of me
for I have wandered
far and near
carrying my emptiness
seeking the heart
that was meant for me
then slyly
withheld.
the malingerer.
as ever
buen camino
and thank you for reading my poetry
I can only hope it has been of some use.
thank you. i am swiveling between feeling a bloody fraud and ah what the hell im burning the boots! funny u mention another route as of course the cf has the infrastructure! i have to be sneaky and plan for the spring as my family will disown me! the poetry seems to pick its route irrespective of MY wishes anyway as i wrote this in the middle of the night holding a stone and thinking of FINISTERRE.So sorry to hear your news, @malingerer - so disappointing for you after all the anticipation. I hope your knee settles and you're able to reschedule and try again soon, on this route or another. Keep writing the poetry!
THE LOST ONES
Whispers
in the mist
tugging at me
as I pass
upwards
onwards
to the col
shrouded in grey
begging my prayers and candles
at Santiago
for from this place
they cannot pass
until the lightning
strikes again
and spring
brings forth the flowers
they must follow
as snows do melt
to show
the yellow arrow.
buen camino
The Malingerer.
hi and thanks!Your introduction takes me straight to that mall, to the mother with her small boy, and then back in time ... what a wonderful introduction to a beautiful, beautiful poem.
Thank you malingerer, and best, best wishes -
Jenny
Gracias amigo and i have done just that years ago! as u say the Frances is perfect for that but i have a stubborn heart and just want to be back on the veedlepee! HOWEVER, I am hoping to get accepted to do a stint at Miraz and maybe the grumpy one might see me doing noble deeds and give me a tiny miracle?Ho, Malingerer - sorry to hear about your knee. I too have problems that can flare - a truly duff knee from a road accident when young, a couple of bones in my right foot once broken and not too happy when being flexed too much - pain, isn't it (pun intended).
JennyH told me of the "5 to 10" Camino concept. Instead of striding along trying to get a "day stage" in, day after day, - just pack superlight and amble along, five to ten kms a day - no rush ... then maybe, just maybe, the frail bits won't let you down - the Frances is perfect for that.
Buen Camino
hi and thanks!
and a merry xmas wherever u are
the malingerer
YEP! THATS THE ONE!Hi malingerer ... I had a word with Santa and asked him which tree it could have been. He checked through all his photos on the 's-cloud' (his own i-cloud where he stores all his Christmas photos) and he thought it was this tree ... is it?
View attachment 22564
Thanks again for your beautiful poetry this year - every word is a joy.
Best, best wishes to you and yours for a very happy Christmas.
Cheers - Jenny
Ta-Dah!!! Santa thought it might have been!YEP! THATS THE ONE!
and NO im not the baldy git on the bench!!
G'day!
thank you. i am swiveling between feeling a bloody fraud and ah what the hell im burning the boots! funny u mention another route as of course the cf has the infrastructure! i have to be sneaky and plan for the spring as my family will disown me! the poetry seems to pick its route irrespective of MY wishes anyway as i wrote this in the middle of the night holding a stone and thinking of FINISTERRE.
TALISMAN
the soul of an owl
in the stone
I found at ebb of tide
will take its place
with me
when next i go
a camino
from east to west
and into the sun
following that ancient path
I took those lives ago
and now returns
my heart
to home
in the western sea.
thank you. thats a wonderful way of putting it! funny, i have been accepted as a volunteer for Miraz next year and am hoping if i can get my act together,i will bus it back to santiago and see if i can walk it down to Finisterre and have a word with my ancestors. it would make a brilliant end to my walking days.You can always burn your boots at Finisterre (figuratively speaking!)
Thank you so much for your gift of poetry. It speaks to all us pilgrims injured along the Way and, as you, now travelling our Healing Caminos.
My pen is somewhat rusty but an offering of David Whyte from his book Pilgrim
FINISTERRE
The road in the end taking the path the sun had taken,
into the western sea, and the moon rising behind you
as you stood where ground turned to ocean: no way
to your future now but the way your shadow could take,
walking before you across water, going where shadows go,
no way to make sense of a world that wouldn't let you pass
except to call an end to the way you had come,
to take out each frayed letter you brought
and light their illumined corners, and to read
them as they drifted through the western light;
to empty your bags; to sort this and to leave that;
to promise what you needed to promise all along,
and to abandon the shoes that had brought you here
right at the water's edge, not because you had given up
but because now, you would find a different way to tread,
and because, through it all, part of you could still walk on,
no matter how, over the waves.
thank you. thats a wonderful way of putting it! funny, i have been accepted as a volunteer for Miraz next year and am hoping if i can get my act together,i will bus it back to santiago and see if i can walk it down to Finisterre and have a word with my ancestors. it would make a brilliant end to my walking days.
yours aye
the malingerer.
A big thank you and heart felt good wishes for Christmas. Buen camino for whenever and wherever you go a camino!A heartfelt and winsome Christmas gift.
Thank you malingerer, warrior-poet.
Warmest best wishes also from the Great Southern Land. As you look towards Longest Night, we live through our Longest Day... dream on!
Soon it will be the birth-day and soA big thank you and heart felt good wishes for Christmas. Buen camino for whenever and wherever you go a camino!
the malingerer
Soon it will be the birth-day and so
NEWBORN
Young
she was
and tired
exhausted
bloody
but a glow of wonder
lit her face
as eyes bright with joy
deep she gazed
on this
her newborn
first born
and I wonder
wonder
wonder
if the Christ-child
and his mother
felt like this
ere prescience
spread his wings......
the malingerer
still wondering.
SOLSTICESo, so beautiful malingerer - this poem is a wonderful Christmas gift for us all.
Thank you -
Jenny
SOLSTICE
Last dawn of old
wet
windy
wild and cold
like a child
in pre-awakening
needing changing
feeding
like I
need the sun
Spanish wine
and the road
going on
before me.
the malingerer.
Beautiful poem malingerer - first one to be shared on the Forum for 2016 - thank you. May 2016 bring you all wonderful things - especially for your time at Miraz.
Cheers - Jenny
been to hosp up in clevedon who say the two things wrong are age and arthritis both of which cant b cured! who cares sez me and am now praying for pennies to swell the coffers for next trip! can afford zamorra to Astorga which means i could say i have done the veedlepee but my heart wants to go Caceres to Salamanca and leave the finish till another day. like that comment of yours about peace with the pace. as for crisp walks in the crisp air its bloody freezing and the gusts can take u off ya feet. Mind u it does give rise to mirth amongst the heathen here when elderly are seen hurtling down the road in hot pursuit of their headgear! Sheesh! as 4 madrid it'll be in late, up early and off 2 Caceres, God willing of course!Hi malingerer -
Another absolute cracker of a poem! Thank you!
Less than two months until you leave for Madrid - lucky you! If you're planning a couple of days in Madrid before you start walking, there's a fantastic exhibition at the Prado that you might want to see - the Hieronymous Bosch exhibition. He was a Dutch painter from the 16th century (I think) who painted the most wild paintings - he was centuries ahead of his time. I'll be seeing it at the end of July when I'm in Madrid.
I hope that you've been able to sort out your health problems and that you're enjoying some brisk walks in the crisp air - save the leisurely walks for Spain! Be at Peace with your Pace!
Cheers and thanks again -
Jenny
Hi Sean - 'sorry to hear the news wasn't better from the medicos - it's great that you're not letting it stop you from walking the VDLP ... speaking of which, follow your heart and go Caceres to Salamanca ... if that is what draws you then that's where you should be. I think you're already half way there as you're planning Caceres as your start.been to hosp up in clevedon who say the two things wrong are age and arthritis both of which cant b cured! who cares sez me and am now praying for pennies to swell the coffers for next trip! can afford zamorra to Astorga which means i could say i have done the veedlepee but my heart wants to go Caceres to Salamanca and leave the finish till another day. like that comment of yours about peace with the pace. as for crisp walks in the crisp air its bloody freezing and the gusts can take u off ya feet. Mind u it does give rise to mirth amongst the heathen here when elderly are seen hurtling down the road in hot pursuit of their headgear! Sheesh! as 4 madrid it'll be in late, up early and off 2 Caceres, God willing of course!
Buen camino and stay safe.
The malingerer aka Sean, Josiah etc!
Hi Sean - 'sorry to hear the news wasn't better from the medicos - it's great that you're not letting it stop you from walking the VDLP ... speaking of which, follow your heart and go Caceres to Salamanca ... if that is what draws you then that's where you should be. I think you're already half way there as you're planning Caceres as your start.
Hey - maybe your walking poles could stop a flying hat!Good luck with the fund-raising!
Be at Peace with your Pace and take joy in EVERY step -
Cheers -
Jenny
BRUSSELS
Death becomes a television show
sandwiched between soap and sport
I hear the screams
but cannot smell the blood
until my mind reminds me
of Derry
Belfast
and English politicians talking
of
"an acceptable level of violence"
I do not think
that then as now
the dying and the maimed
would quite agree
as murderers cry out
"God is great"
before unleashing Hell
So I dim the lights
and candles seven light
along with incense
to reassure my senses
lest I too buckle under pain
and cry
"My God
My god
why hast thou
forsaken me?"
Stay safe out there, peregrinos, but keep on walking.
Yours in anguish,
The Malingerer.
Dear Sean - what an exceptionally beautiful and profound poem this is. Thank you so much for it.
You're so right, all we can do is keep on walking.
Yours, in friendship -
Jenny
Thank you for this beautiful poem Malingerer - your poems do make me look deeper. One month and you'll be in Madrid, ready to start the VDLP! I hope the wide open spaces, the wind and the road will bring you joy each day.It is "the marching season" as we say in Ulster and the "walking season" for Caminos. It is also the anniversary of Denise leaving us. There are many wounds. And so.......
I walk the wounds
across the fields
of broken glass
the debris of our yesterdays
and the bloody footprints
of tomorrow
on a kaleidoscope of times
I light my candles
in a church
as reflection of the beacons
I have lit across the wastes
of spaces deep
between the stars of this
and parallels of universe
I cannot name
I kneel in places
high and old
far from the glare of empty ritual
then keep on walking
towards a truth
towards the light
and as I westwards walk
the earth beneath my feet rolls east
We pass each other by
and smile
for bond I have with the planet blue
foster mother
to the inner child
who gave me The Way
to walk the wounds
and slowly
heal.
Buen camino, stay safe, and if you cannot walk, journey on.
Peace,
The Malingerer
i hope to recommence vdlp sep this year having struggled from malaga to merida some years ago. hopefully i will fly into sevilla and then train up to merida. the poetry will be written as i go. i have one more eye op to go and then i can start to train hard. i am not a good photographer and i really liked windswepts contribution so the poems are for me and all those befuddled about not only why they go a camino but always come back to it!
I am a long way
from who I am
and even further
from who I was
who I will be
heaven knows
I wear the tattoo
of the rose
the seeker's badge
of time and space
a distant point
on the homeward race
to who I am
yours,
The Malingerer
So looking forward to hearing more of your poetry on the Way. Here is one of mine for companionship. I love "I am a long way from who I am".
FIELD OF STARS
I have been up so high and down so steep through the Field of Stars.
Sparkling golden mornings to dreamy purple nights
spent with strangers seeking something shared
On the road to Compostela.
A river of prayer, deep dreaming souls like leaves slide in cold currents,
Dropped from different trees,
Race careering by in common cause
Meet in miracle pools of moonlight melted stone.
Offer never ending temptation to step back out into the golden morning,
onto the Good Way.
Hounds from hell own the valleys where black cock compasses call us.
Huge wolf guards strain chained by brown cow’s barns
Demon dogs wait at crossroads to catch the confused or
slip sleekly by against silent footstep traffic flow, one-way.
Fear of their fangs kept me from Camino
But strangers and little arrows saw me safe on the road
And the red fox snuck away amongst the bracken
And, mother now, I am, like him, stronger than my nightmares
and home
while the hounds fade shadowless into the impenetrable gloom of Galician forest.
As evening falls upon my childish fairytales their packs can slide back behind me.
The rest though, the real yellow road,
the kisses on the back of my hand, like needle pricks, chestnut cases;
the velvet songs of sadness and love, the golden mists and plump pumpkin patches,
shining flagstones and clouds of incense,
the half-remembered poems, gleaming emerald streams, warmth of chocolate-pool eyes,
the flutes and accordions and bagpipes
can't I capture these, not let them go?
Can’t I with this page, net them in words, here by the grey Presbyterian sea
click save and have them here, deep, hot, for ever?
Thank you for this beautiful poem Malingerer - your poems do make me look deeper. One month and you'll be in Madrid, ready to start the VDLP! I hope the wide open spaces, the wind and the road will bring you joy each day.
Cheers - Jenny
So looking forward to hearing more of your poetry on the Way. Here is one of mine for companionship. I love "I am a long way from who I am".
FIELD OF STARS
I have been up so high and down so steep through the Field of Stars.
Sparkling golden mornings to dreamy purple nights
spent with strangers seeking something shared
On the road to Compostela.
A river of prayer, deep dreaming souls like leaves slide in cold currents,
Dropped from different trees,
Race careering by in common cause
Meet in miracle pools of moonlight melted stone.
Offer never ending temptation to step back out into the golden morning,
onto the Good Way.
Hounds from hell own the valleys where black cock compasses call us.
Huge wolf guards strain chained by brown cow’s barns
Demon dogs wait at crossroads to catch the confused or
slip sleekly by against silent footstep traffic flow, one-way.
Fear of their fangs kept me from Camino
But strangers and little arrows saw me safe on the road
And the red fox snuck away amongst the bracken
And, mother now, I am, like him, stronger than my nightmares
and home
while the hounds fade shadowless into the impenetrable gloom of Galician forest.
As evening falls upon my childish fairytales their packs can slide back behind me.
The rest though, the real yellow road,
the kisses on the back of my hand, like needle pricks, chestnut cases;
the velvet songs of sadness and love, the golden mists and plump pumpkin patches,
shining flagstones and clouds of incense,
the half-remembered poems, gleaming emerald streams, warmth of chocolate-pool eyes,
the flutes and accordions and bagpipes
can't I capture these, not let them go?
Can’t I with this page, net them in words, here by the grey Presbyterian sea
click save and have them here, deep, hot, for ever?
Sounds like great preparations Sean - particularly those Tevas! Fantastic sandals! Good to hear that you've got the first aid kit happening too and your 'insurance policy' for the knee (ie the support and the Voltarol).Four weeks Monday and my emotions have me strung out already! Not bothering much with road training as this time I will walk short bits and bus long bits until the stride comes back! Bought new undies and Tevas this morning and checking the first aid. Buying knee support and a kilo of Voltarol as well. Determined to get to Astorga by fair means or foul and then its home with the vdlp under my belt or maybe a sneaky addition over the Cruz de Ferro to Ponferrada. I like to stand in the Templar castle and indulge in some mild meglomania!
as ever, thank you for your support n take care.
Love n peace etc!
The malingerer aka sean etc.
Four weeks Monday and my emotions have me strung out already! Not bothering much with road training as this time I will walk short bits and bus long bits until the stride comes back! Bought new undies and Tevas this morning and checking the first aid. Buying knee support and a kilo of Voltarol as well. Determined to get to Astorga by fair means or foul and then its home with the vdlp under my belt or maybe a sneaky addition over the Cruz de Ferro to Ponferrada. I like to stand in the Templar castle and indulge in some mild meglomania!
as ever, thank you for your support n take care.
Love n peace etc!
The malingerer aka sean etc.
New undies - now you're set.
Ah... the pre walk emotions... they're quite a mix. Take care of your body on the Way. You'll soon find your stride!
For some reason the old Kris Kristofferson lyrics just popped into the conversation - The Pilgrim: Chapter 33
But if this world keeps right on turnin', for the better or the worse
And all he ever gets is older and around
From the rockin' of the cradle, to the rollin' of the hearse
The goin' up was worth, the comin' down
He's a poet, an' he's a picker, he's a prophet, an' he's a pusher
He's a pilgrim and a preacher, and a problem when he's stoned
He's a walkin' contradiction, partly truth and partly fiction
Takin' ev'ry wrong direction on his lonely way back home
Have a fabulous Camino
Fantastic reply Meri! Thanks for the lyrics - I really like the second and last lines of the first verse - says a lot about life itself doesn't it? (Seriously, I always think the goin' up is worth the comin' down).New undies - now you're set.
Ah... the pre walk emotions... they're quite a mix. Take care of your body on the Way. You'll soon find your stride!
For some reason the old Kris Kristofferson lyrics just popped into the conversation - The Pilgrim: Chapter 33
But if this world keeps right on turnin', for the better or the worse
And all he ever gets is older and around
From the rockin' of the cradle, to the rollin' of the hearse
The goin' up was worth, the comin' down
He's a poet, an' he's a picker, he's a prophet, an' he's a pusher
He's a pilgrim and a preacher, and a problem when he's stoned
He's a walkin' contradiction, partly truth and partly fiction
Takin' ev'ry wrong direction on his lonely way back home
Have a fabulous Camino
Fantastic reply Meri! Thanks for the lyrics - I really like the second and last lines of the first verse - says a lot about life itself doesn't it? (Seriously, I always think the goin' up is worth the comin' down).
Cheers - Jenny
Aaahhh... our hippy days... love, light, peace and the doomsday clock... it was always going to get better but I think that was us, in the end. The only thing that we realised that we could change or influence about the World was ourselves. Hard lesson.Now THIS is a reply and a half. Reminds me of my hippy days when we really did think it was gonna get better. Seems at times like its got worse but then ya caint see stars in daylight!
love n peace n thank you.
the malingerer
Now THIS is a reply and a half. Reminds me of my hippy days when we really did think it was gonna get better. Seems at times like its got worse but then ya caint see stars in daylight!
love n peace n thank you.
the malingerer
'Love your post Meri! So true!I should have added the last line of that song:
There's a lot of wrong directions, on that lonely way back home
Describes us journeymen/travellers well...
Hi and thanks for the post which was quite coincidental! I was having my first coffee of the day when I received the missive! Like the way you dip into the poetry and was quite taken with Kabir BUT the word imagination comes from image which comes from Magi who were magicians meaning they had knowledge because they were calendar makers! And THAT was power! Not to be confused with card tricks and parlour games!I've enjoyed skimming the poems here and will settle down and read them properly one quiet night
Meanwhile I hope you don't mind me sharing here a Kabir poem I came across today.
I Said to the Wanting Creature
by Kabir, trans. Robert Bly
I said to the wanting-creature inside me:
What is this river you want to cross?
There are no travelers on the river-road, and no road.
Do you see anyone moving about on that bank, or nesting?
There is no river at all, and no boat, and no boatman.
There is no tow rope either, and no one to pull it.
There is no ground, no sky, no time, no bank, no ford!
And there is no body, and no mind!
Do you believe there is some place that will make the
soul less thirsty?
In that great absence you will find nothing.
Be strong then, and enter into your own body;
there you have a solid place for your feet.
Think about it carefully!
Don't go off somewhere else!
Kabir says this: just throw away all thoughts of imaginary things,
and stand firm in that which you are.
Hi and thanks for the post which was quite coincidental! I was having my first coffee of the day when I received the missive! Like the way you dip into the poetry and was quite taken with Kabir BUT the word imagination comes from image which comes from Magi who were magicians meaning they had knowledge because they were calendar makers! And THAT was power! Not to be confused with card tricks and parlour games!
I'm off to Madrid on May 9th and then up to Burgos and heading for the Meseta. I'm hoping to fool myself and the dreaded arthritis by slowly putting some sneaky miles into my legs and if I can get to Astorga I'll simply catch a bus down to Zamora and then turn around and head North again! I have to finish the Veedlepee with SOME sense of honour!Will probably write some Musings for the Meseta before finishing poetry for the VDLP AND HEADING HOME!!! Its been a long haul. Many thanks once again and Buen Camino.
Yours aye,
Malingerer.
Hola!Some years ago up on the Cf I came across a carefully laid out spiral of stones. Making sure no one was watching I danced along them. For some reason that came back to me this evening and so
CIRCLES
I had thought to hunt the road as if she was a hare
with the gun of my soul
But I am Celt
olden
and she is sacred to me now
so I wait
and she
comes to me
on her long long legs
and says
I have been waiting for you
so I put down my gun
and laced up my boots
donned my rucksack
took up my walking poles
and followed her
on that great high circle
that leads me back
to who I am.
The malingerer
Buen camino and hi there Jenny
This time next week i should be holed up in Burgos.! The long range forecast says some rain and thunderstorms ahead! Sheesh! Pacer poles are carbon and thinks, dont that attract lightning? ah well needs must!
Ps A hare runs in great circles which is where the idea comes in!
I've enjoyed skimming the poems here and will settle down and read them properly one quiet night
Meanwhile I hope you don't mind me sharing here a Kabir poem I came across today.
I Said to the Wanting Creature
by Kabir, trans. Robert Bly
I said to the wanting-creature inside me:
What is this river you want to cross?
There are no travelers on the river-road, and no road.
Do you see anyone moving about on that bank, or nesting?
There is no river at all, and no boat, and no boatman.
There is no tow rope either, and no one to pull it.
There is no ground, no sky, no time, no bank, no ford!
And there is no body, and no mind!
Do you believe there is some place that will make the
soul less thirsty?
In that great absence you will find nothing.
Be strong then, and enter into your own body;
there you have a solid place for your feet.
Think about it carefully!
Don't go off somewhere else!
Kabir says this: just throw away all thoughts of imaginary things,
and stand firm in that which you are.
How well you describe that precious irreplaceable present moment...How did I let this marvellous thread get away from me???
"I said to the wanting-creature inside me:
What is this river you want to cross?
There are no travelers on the river-road, and no road.
Do you see anyone moving about on that bank, or nesting?
There is no river at all, and no boat, and no boatman.
There is no tow rope either, and no one to pull it.
There is no ground, no sky, no time, no bank, no ford!
And there is no body, and no mind!
Do you believe there is some place that will make the
soul less thirsty?
In that great absence you will find nothing.
Be strong then, and enter into your own body;
there you have a solid place for your feet.
Think about it carefully!
Don't go off somewhere else!
Kabir says this: just throw away all thoughts of imaginary things,
and stand firm in that which you are."
Came from NewGabe - Exactly!!!!
Our lives - we are like children in a room full of mirrors .. concentrate, be still, or that moment you had, that moment on that hill, or when the hawk flew over, or the kitten came for food and a cuddle, or those old men/women you saw, and pondered, that moment that took you out of all this so that you were immersed in all this, but were still, mind silent, and, for one moment, still, mindless, but Awake, awake!, that moment - it is gone! Or, look! another mirror!
I like this poem. I like this poem very much! Surely he/she must be a Sufi, or Sikh, or Hindu?
I like it very much, reminds me of the many enlightenment words and poems.
On Camino .. you have this chance, this one chance in your life, away from that other world, if you would only switch all the gadgets off, be where you are, day by day, moment by moment. There is no path, there is no thing to learn, there is no constant improvement, there is no 'getting better', there is no 'getting wiser', there is no meditation or yoga to work at, there is no progression - there is only waking up to what you are and have always been -
- there is only this - and there has only ever been only this ...
So ...
"In that tiniest timeless fragment of eternity
When, for just one eternal moment, the games ended
and reality began
I remembered"
Buen Camino!
one thing i like about this thread is that the replies are so much better than what I have written!!How well you describe that precious irreplaceable present moment...
One of my favourites from Lao Tzu:
Always we hope
someone else has the answer
some other place will be better some other time
it will all turn out.
This is it
no one else has the answer
no other place will be better
and it has already turned out
At the center of your being
you have the answer
you know who you are
and you know what you want
There is no need
to run outside
for better seeing
Nor to peer from a window
Rather abide at
the center of your being
for the more you leave it
the less you learn
Search your heart
and see
the way to do
is to be
Did you write this david?
"In that tiniest timeless fragment of eternity
When, for just one eternal moment, the games ended
and reality began
I remembered"
They only complement/compliment a pilgrim with a poet's heart or is that a poet with a pilgrim's heart?one thing i like about this thread is that the replies are so much better than what I have written!!
The malingerer!
Y Bon Camino!
Afraid so.... in 1969!
The death of that young MP has touched me deeply and without further ado, here is how I feel:Awakening.
I like it very much David.
A young man realizing something important and verbalizing and expressing it.
How could you have known that it would still be important 47 years later
Eternal moment...
Thank you. You captured the essence of the lady and the pain and senselessness of her death so poignantly.The death of that young MP has touched me deeply and without further ado, here is how I feel:
JO
The swifts of summer season fly
so short their time
before they leave us
and so with you
as shots ring out
and life diminished lies
on pavement cold
I hope Valhalla's gates
are flying open wide
for you are amongst
the bravest of the brave
a warrior woman
challenging injustice
inequality
bigotry
hatred
taken from us
far to soon from Earth
to shine above the Way
and beckon on
the souls who say
your light can never die.
So rest in peace Jo
rest in peace.
The Malingerer
thank you cherrys and I am honoured you wish to use the poem. Please do so and add my prayers.It's been wonderful to read all this poetry. Many thanks to forum members who wrote these words, and to those who contributed their favorites. The news and the senseless killings recently have been terrible, thank you very much Malingerer for the last one for Jo. With your consent, may we use it to honor the many others whose lives have been cut short this past week.
A Walk in the Mountains
I don’t know what I sought, maybe the search itself: to call myself a seeker?
The mountains do not care if I should choose to lose myself like any other seeker.
For two days I did not know if I should find the way.
My guides proved useless and my struggles vain, clawing up slippery mountains in the rain.
Maybe the wrong mountains?
There still are mountains there of no return.
So I went back, returning to a place of clarity:
A little mountain hut where I could cease my frantic seeking.
I saw that I could yet return again to where I lost the road, to see what I would find there:
A narrow line of stones across the river ran counter to the flow: a direction, so I go,
Back to the world of mortals one more time.
When I return unto the world of seekers, I bear a promise of mortality; maybe disease, or nothing.
I have got too far lost to ever utterly return and do not want to pay the usual price.
I like this a lot. Thank you.The malingerer.
I am heading back to Ponferrada last week of July to finish off the CF in memory of a few people but as ever, I long to be back on the veedlepee. Mebbee another little bit of it one day just for the hell of returning and as for prices, I pay that with every footstep and word of poetry. Just like u are doing!!
Thank you, malingerer. The rewards are various. I think that this is my first piece of poetry in 45 years. Getting lost in the mountains, like being hanged in the morning, tends to concentrate the mind.
Thank you for these beautiful poems, you are really gifted Malingerer!
I've been watching for your return to the forum after your hike! Last weekend I was in Calgary and went to Johnstone Canyon with my daughter. It was a beautiful day and there were many people out along the trail. As we walked, I wondered (and marvelled) about your solo trip.A Walk in the Mountains
I don’t know what I sought, maybe the search itself: to call myself a seeker?
The mountains do not care if I should choose to lose myself like any other seeker.
For two days I did not know if I should find the way.
My guides proved useless and my struggles vain, clawing up slippery mountains in the rain.
Maybe the wrong mountains?
There still are mountains there of no return.
So I went back, returning to a place of clarity:
A little mountain hut where I could cease my frantic seeking.
I saw that I could yet return again to where I lost the road, to see what I would find there:
A narrow line of stones across the river ran counter to the flow: a direction, so I go,
Back to the world of mortals one more time.
When I return unto the world of seekers, I bear a promise of mortality; maybe disease, or nothing.
I have got too far lost to ever utterly return and do not want to pay the usual price.
@C clearly:I've been watching for your return to the forum after your hike! Last weekend I was in Calgary and went to Johnstone Canyon with my daughter. It was a beautiful day and there were many people out along the trail. As we walked, I wondered (and marvelled) about your solo trip.
A Walk in the Mountains
I don’t know what I sought, maybe the search itself: to call myself a seeker?
The mountains do not care if I should choose to lose myself like any other seeker.
For two days I did not know if I should find the way.
My guides proved useless and my struggles vain, clawing up slippery mountains in the rain.
Maybe the wrong mountains?
There still are mountains there of no return.
So I went back, returning to a place of clarity:
A little mountain hut where I could cease my frantic seeking.
I saw that I could yet return again to where I lost the road, to see what I would find there:
A narrow line of stones across the river ran counter to the flow: a direction, so I go,
Back to the world of mortals one more time.
When I return unto the world of seekers, I bear a promise of mortality; maybe disease, or nothing.
I have got too far lost to ever utterly return and do not want to pay the usual price.
I like this a lot. Thank you. The malingerer.
I am heading back to Ponferrada last week of July to finish off the CF in memory of a few people but as ever, I long to be back on the veedlepee. Mebbee another little bit of it one day just for the hell of returning and as for prices, I pay that with every footstep and word of poetry. Just like u are doing!!
That's beautiful, Thank You.
This little wistful favourite verse of mine is for both of you...
Buen Camino @malingerer
POETRY
Lang Leav
I know you have seen things you wish you hadn't.
You have done things you wish you could take back.
And you wonder why you were thrown into the thick of it all -
why you had to suffer the Way you did.
and, as you are sitting there alone and hurting,
I wish I could put a pen in your hand
and gently remind you
how the world has given you poetry
and now you must give it back.
Yes, those last two lines explain everything...
Ah - the poets of the Great War... their poetry moved me greatly...
Dulce et Decorum est
My subject is War, and the pity of War. The Poetry is in the pity.
and this favourite from the War that followed:
High Flight
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air… .
Up, up the long, delirious burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or ever eagle flew —
And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
John Gillespie Magee, Jr
@Wokabaut_Meri:
On this 149th Canada Day, I am remembering this Royal Canadian Air Force pilot and poet who died during WWII. I also remember and honour the soldiers of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. One hundred years ago today, 801 soldiers of the regiment went into battle at Beaumont Hamel, part of the early battle of the Somme. The next day, sixty-eight soldiers answered role call. I am wondering in my heart what the poet can do to help us find the way to peace. In our small way, as pilgrims, we walk together as human beings. The poet shows us our hearts as we walk together. May it be enough.
And the men of my clan
went forth to war
Good Irishmen from North and South
Protestant and Catholic
Good Ulstermen
from Donegal and Scotland
They answered the call
from an English king
to fight and die in France
against the German foe
and I wonder at so many foreign strands
wove in this rope
that winds so tight about my throat
as I offer up my words like pebbles
to the cairn
for no one asks the stones
from whence they came.
the malingerer.
Peace and bon camino.
hola!
been up on the cf finishing the stage from Ponferrada to Santiago. Weather was like terrain, brutal! It was 35 in July. Forgotten I had done this in my youth ( ie mid sixties) and as i am now 78, not quite so easy!
Like most of you , am quite stunned about the news and untimely end to our fellow pilgrim so:
TAKEN
Cruel his ending
cursed be the place
that witnessed the murder
of silence and solitude
beloved of all of us
who step aside from the race
My prayers to his loved ones
my peace to his soul
And now I must walk again
resume my role
leaving space in my rucksack
for those
going home.
the malingerer.
be careful out there, but keep on truckin.
Evil must be defied.
vaya con dios.
4.30?
heres why!
4.30
I walk with geisha steps
up the mountain
heart hammering line an old diesel
and
the malingerer!looks like my pc failed here!
next attempt!the malingerer!
next attempt!
4.30
I walk with geisha steps
up the mountain
heart hammering like an old diesel
and lungs wheezing like the carburettor on an old clapped out motor cycle
and I wonder
where do souls go
who have not finished camino?
I pause
look up
to see a trillion stars
and hear them singing gently
"Here!
of course,
Here!"
And I let the tears flow
as that is why I go
a-camino.
To cry in private
and let the morning mist rise up
and mingle them
with daybreak
another day
and 4.30.
the malingerer.
vaya con dios.
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