Monday, August 04, 2008
Advice for Pilgrims
Advice for Pilgrims
Carry a heavy staff.
You will need it,
some of the roads are rutted and steep,
blocked with boulders
and fallen trees.
Take a large water bottle.
There will be springs
along the way,
but many have dried
with time
and are no longer shown
on the maps.
Walk in shoes you already
know about.
Let them carry you where
you are trying to go.
Don't read too many guidebooks.
The were written for
other travelers,
people looking for
caves and cathedrals,
renowned repositories
of the dead,
humming with visitors.
Carry a heavy staff.
You will need it,
some of the roads are rutted and steep,
blocked with boulders
and fallen trees.
Take a large water bottle.
There will be springs
along the way,
but many have dried
with time
and are no longer shown
on the maps.
Walk in shoes you already
know about.
Let them carry you where
you are trying to go.
Don't read too many guidebooks.
The were written for
other travelers,
people looking for
caves and cathedrals,
renowned repositories
of the dead,
humming with visitors.
Keep to your own path,
bed beneath the trees.
When night falls,
count the stars over your head.
That will tell you
how many days
you still have to go,
how long to journey's end.
Dorothy Walters
August 3, 2008
