Pilgrimage

A long walk across the country side

 

Silently watching –

Old men with red capes, fighting imaginary bulls

Trees with long branches, ripened figs falling to the ground

A gypsy celebration, dancing as a crowd claps in unison

Small piles of ash along the roadside, a man on his knees reciting a prayer

 

Quietly listening –

Echoes bouncing off courtyard walls, left behind by anonymous strangers

A mother’s soft lullaby that crossed paths with the wind

Wheat fields harmonizing, following instructions from the breeze

My father’s voice in my head, recalling conversations when I was young

 

At journey’s end

Releasing burdens from the past

Replaced with scenes of a long walk

New found meaning from sights and sounds

Content to return home