Below is a poem that pilgrim Jeff from North Dakota wrote and shared on the Camino de Santiago Forum that we loved so much that we just had to share here! Comment below with a stanza or two (or three!) that you would add to the poem!
Lord, Give Me a Blister
Lord, give me a blister!
Round and big, right on my heel.
Lord, give me a blister,
full of puss and blood would be ideal.
Lord, I want the rain,
the kind that pours and never stops.
Maybe frozen, mist, and sleet?
Or even snow, if it’s not too much.
Lord, make that sun hot!
And leave it there to stay.
Let’s have it be 90 in the shade,
and make sure no clouds get in the way!
Lord, give me a top bunk!
I pray you this request!
Itchy blankets and lumpy pillows,
make sure I get no rest!
Lord, give me one who snores,
loud enough to wake the dead!
Let the pilgrim roar like thunder,
and make sure it never ends!
Lord, how about meal?
Make sure it costs a lot!
Over-cooked meat and under-done soup,
all cooked in a dirty pot.
Lord, I’ll take a drink,
nine euros for a beer!
What brand? It doesn’t matter,
they only serve one kind here!
Lord, how about a hill?
Have it rise and never stop.
And make the path extra steep,
so I never reach the top.
Lord, I’ll need some people,
none who speak my tongue.
It’s imperative I talk to them,
but we’ll never get it done.
Lord, give me a give me a tourist,
so I can mock his efforts to arrive.
Because I was stupid enough to walk,
while he was smart enough to drive!
Lord, give me the Camino
and I promise I won’t complain.
Let me enjoy ALL that you give me,
I will gladly bear these pains.
Lord, give me the Camino
My boots, my stick, my pack.
That’s all I need, Father.
Please, just let me go back.
I haven’t hiked the camino yet, but it’s one I will do next year. I’ve hiked many miles in other places around the world though, and have written poetry about some of it. This is a portion of one of them, taken from my book, “Miscellaneous Musings and Other Odd Thoughts: The Desert Poems,” that seems apropos:
It was a time of sadness and of pleasure,
It was a time of laughter and of tears,
It was a time of searching through your soul,
It was a time of hopes and dreams and fears.
It was a time of sunshine and of shadow,
It was a time of passion and of pain,
But ’twas a time that lived upon a dream,
And there upon a dream it will remain.