Wokabaut_Meri
somewhere along the Way
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Camino Francés 2015
Pilgrims Way 2018
Via Francigena #1 Canterbury-Dover 2018
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For it is hard to go to sleep
this night
as the ghosts of millions
softly sigh
like a murmuring of starlings
at the fading
of the light.
Thank you for reading them. I think of the nightingales high above the gunfire in WW1 and am constantly amazed. My swifts are my camino birds of choice tho!Perfect again, dear poet.
My parents' lives changed drastically that day, both at university in Poland... both gone now... and you mention
my mother always spoke of how the bird song faded and was lost throughout those long war years. She became a passionate advocate for our feathered friends and they, in return, gave her great consolation with their songs.
Thank you for your gift of words
Dear Malingerer, you always touch a nerve. Three verses come to mind as a result of your two recent posts;
Into the valley of death rode the 600...
Not a drum was heard...
I will wear more purple...
Clearly enough, the first two could be written again time and time again... when will we ever learn?
The third one is a variation of the final line of a verse supposedly written by a US lady about her old age. She will eat more ice cream, she will wear more purple. If only life could be so simple. Subjunctive notwithstanding, to borrow from another recent post! Thank you. One of my reasons for scanning the forum is to watch and find your posts. Truly.
I enjoy your replies! Truly!even tho the subject matter is grim I still think writing about it is worthwhile.
thank you.
The Malingerer.
The storks in all their scruffy majesty are our Camino birds. Although we did have a cuckoo shadow a lot of the Way. At times we thought the Cuckoo call was very apt...Thank you for reading them. I think of the nightingales high above the gunfire in WW1 and am constantly amazed. My swifts are my camino birds of choice tho!
The Malingerer.
The storks in all their scruffy majesty are our Camino birds. Although we did have a cuckoo shadow a lot of the Way. At times we thought the Cuckoo call was very apt...
Usually, I do not reply to such stuff! you have given me a great laugh, sir!A NEW COMPOSTELA FOR CYCLISTS
I believe this is to be handed out a the START to aged male cyclists and will be titled
THE LAST WHEEL AND TESTICLE!
The Malingerer!
Usually, I do not reply to such stuff! you have given me a great laugh, sir!
Once more, thank you. Thank you.AUTUMN
Turn the leaves
colours
of a dappled horse
in fickle light.
Gull wails
of storms at sea.
Crows screech
of mans' fate
in inland turmoil.
A woman dies alone:
a bad fall
and all of us
a little diminished
whilst she
returns to The All.
Walk soft
stay safe
and
as ever
Via
con Dios.
The malingerer.
Once more, thank you. Thank you.
THE LAST DANCE
Clouds
like white feathers
gently brush the blue
whilst the green of trees
upwards strives
as the dance-floor is prepared
for summer late
to tantalise the eye
ere winter
chills the heart.
Walk soft
stay safe
and
as ever
Vaya
con
Dios.
The malingerer.
THE STARS ARE BACK
Early
in the morn
on impulse
I get up
and look out
my windows.
Enchantment!
The sky is full of stars.
Where once my day
was empty
at the departure of the Swifts
and the Heavens
just a blackness
now:
a multitude of lanterns
twinkle
teem
and laugh with me to say:
" We are the reminders
of your soul-journey:
your Camino.
It is Equinox
and soon the dark
of Winter.
But turns the wheel
and Solstice
will come round.
So rest
prepare
and do not count the days:
they are as drops of water
in the river of your life".
And back to bed I went
content.
Walk soft
stay safe
And
as ever
Vaya
con Dios.
The malingerer.
A ROSE IN THE RAIN
Wind rising
sky darkening
rain squalling
I begin to mutter
and feel down
and then I remember
trialling contact lenses
on a Belfast street
in the pouring rain
dumbstruck
bewitched
for the first time
I see a rose
in the rain
colours enchanting beyond belief
texture too sacred to touch
I stood and gazed for ages
imbibing the all
and I remember
remember
remember.
Walk soft
stay safe
and
as always
Vaya
con Dios.
The malingerer.
so deep....THE TWELFTH STONE
I weigh my past
on the scales of present:
the right hand side is empty.
It contains Futures
from the realms of Choice.
The lighting of candles
meditation
are but delays
allays
to fears crippling
and yet the twelfth stone
is Harvest.
A Reminder
that Time
has it's own rules
and Harvest is reaped
when Time
decides.
Walk soft
stay safe
and
as ever
Vaya
con Dios.
The malingerer.
@malingererTHE TWELFTH STONE
I weigh my past
on the scales of present:
the right hand side is empty.
It contains Futures
from the realms of Choice.
The lighting of candles
meditation
are but delays
allays
to fears crippling
and yet the twelfth stone
is Harvest.
A Reminder
that Time
has it's own rules
and Harvest is reaped
when Time
decides.
Walk soft
stay safe
and
as ever
Vaya
con Dios.
The malingerer.
I love this! Thank you and everyone else for sharing, my contribution was inspired by my first Camino.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
Thank you so much for this. It is early still, and light is slowly coming as I read your reflection. A gift for me as I walk through this day.I love this! Thank you and everyone else for sharing, my contribution was inspired by my first Camino.
Thank you so much for this. It is early still, and light is slowly coming as I read your reflection. A gift for me as I walk through this day.
LADYBIRD
A Turner evening
of red and gold
reflects on tiny wings of
Ladybird
as gracious lands she
on my window pane
to leave me gifts of thoughts
then off again
in wind and rain
beckoning me to follow
West of South
Santiago
But I am tied
by Time
Health
Wealth
Old Sorrow
So I say
"Soon, Manana."
After Solstice I will borrow
for that of my needs
waits on the morrow
but
little things I put aside
just to remind me:
"Poco y Poco".
Walk soft
stay safe
and as ever
Vaya
con Dios.
The Malingerer.
GIRL IN A CONTAINER
such a pretty face
it haunts me
her dying text:
"Mum! I can't breathe"
a condemnation
of the scum who killed her.
Traffickers?
Murderers
Slavers
Then as now
the dirty face of greed.
I felt stifled today
with humidity
but I had air to breathe
and birdsong
She
could only feel the shadows
and the closing dark.
My prayers for her
feel like withered leaves
and not the petals
of the rose
she should have trod.
Walk soft
stay safe
and
as ever
Vaya
con Dios.
The Malingerer.
VIA DOLOROSA
From many places they come
to die in deserts
drown at sea
suffocate in sealed containers.
But still they come
upon their way
into the West
seeking a new sun
a better life.
One
walked for us
carrying our cross
that Death be not an ending
and left us gifts
of Deeds and Words
like Beacons
in The Dark.
Walk soft
stay safe
and
as ever
Vaya
con Dios.
The Malingerer
NUMBERS
Today
I stand in silence
remembering the lost of war
too many to count.
But numbers win:
millions of bullets
bombs
thousands of ships and planes.
In my flat
warm and dry
I drink coffee
as a small paragraph in a paper
catches my eye:
two women die every week
battered to death by monsters
that once they had loved.
No monument for them
except the space in a mother's heart
where a moment's silence
is forever.
Walk soft
stay soft
and as ever
Vaya
con Dios.
The malingerer.
I have been watching out... so now, thank you. And, as I have no doubt you ask also: when will we ever learn?FAREWELL
I read Hemingway's
" Farewell to Arms"
Italy fights Austria
World War One
The snow falls on the mountains
bullets
pierce flesh.
Italy will join Austria
World War Two
The snow
will still fall
on the mountains
Bullets
pierce flesh.
But Christmas
fights on
in a child's smile
and I hope
Oh God
I hope
for a real
new
Year.
Walk soft
stay safe
and as ever
Vaya
con Dios.
The Malingerer.
I have been watching out... so now, thank you. And, as I have no doubt you ask also: when will we ever learn?
A little Polish angel has just joined the heavenly throng, so I will send your words to her aunt, my friend. Thank you.
LITTLE LIVES LOST
Little lives lost
like the last of leaves
on winter's trees
many
by The Horsemen
as savage as the hounds
on fox.
I thought of this
reading the anguish
of a mother's impassioned plea
for her stillborn son
that his name should be
on the family Christmas cards
for he was family too
not to be forgotten
and I thought of mine own
little one
not to be forgotten.
I let the tears fall
here in the silence
and the privacy
of my flat
as I look into The West
following her tiny footprints
across my heart
my soul
leading me on
to Camino
and the greater journey.
Walk soft
stay safe
and
as ever
Vaya
con Dios.
The Malingerer.
May I have your permission to share these last three with my friend?
Please do so at any time, Kirkie. I am more than glad if they are of use.
The Malingerer
SOLSTICE
Solstice whispers
to the Christmas Child
who brings some sun
but Winter whispers:
" I
am here
to cleanse the Way
and soften Earth
for Spring Equinox
and the opening of the road
with flower
and returning Swifts."
I smile
polish my boots
check my rucksack
and wait
for that soft easy slide-out
in the morning
with West-Wind
Westward
calling
calling.
Walk soft
stay safe
and
as ever
Vaya
con Dios.
The Malingerer.
Merry Xmas and a good New Year to you all.
How beautiful! Your gift of weaving words into a delightful picture reduces me to silence...thanks.
Perfect! I’m watching a few wild birds drop in for a drink too. I’ve also just had my first glimpse (for 2020 that is) of the beautiful ‘blue wren ‘. You have to be quick. I had time to smile but I didn’t waste the moment trying to capture a pic. The blue wren is not as regular as it used to be.
Happy New Year @malingerer
Keep those thoughts flowing to us please in 2020
Buen camino
Annie
ELEMENTALS
I sit
as Elders do
my elbows on my knees.
I was reading
" ORDINARY WOLVES"
a novel of the North Land:
Ice.
And on the television
Fire
in the South
as man is raged to the coast.
The sea will not welcome us
back to the source
with our poisons
and she will rise to warn us
like a Mother
to remind us
you must go to the stars
but only if you have learned
and I wonder
will there be wolves and firestorms
going with us as Elemantals
in the hold of our Noah's Ark?
Walk soft
stay safe
and
as ever
Vaya
con Dios.
The Malingerer.
AS COMES THE LIGHT
The day lengthens
like a cat
in the morning
stretching
for it's daytime hunt.
I
am prey.
My heart knows this game
for I too
am of the cat:
born in the year of The Tiger.
I will stalk us both
through the tangle of hours
and weeping showers
mingling the blue above the clouds
and dripping light enough
to lure me on.
I have the times official
of sunrise and sunset
and judge them against
the blackbird's early whistle
and the crows return to roost
as now we call a truce
and agree this day to end.
As soft my day walks off
to the end of the world
beyond horizon
and I to the electric sun
within my flat
and a wait for Moon
to give meaning
to my time.
Walk soft
stay safe
and
as ever
Vaya
con Dios
The malingerer.
I am glad I waited! I knew you would finish it...
WOLVES AND TIME
And Time feeds
on my scattering thoughts
like wolves
upon the caribou
harrying.
I have bottled my wine
read my book
and now face North
as the rain rattles
my window.
My electric flat
reflects no flame
except that of candle
and it is long
since I brewed my coffee
on open fire.
I hurry towards my past
with Ancestor smiling
at places where
imitation stone axes
and freshly minted flint arrowheads
are for sale
to those who like
their wildness
theme-parked themed.
But dawn light
brings a clearness
with the coldness of winter sky
washing a church roof
and Spain cradles me
with flamenco
to remind me
that there still be wolves
in Iberia.
Walk soft
stay safe
and
as ever
Vaya
con Dios.
The Malingerer.
As I was reading the first 8 or so lines ; I stopped and listened ..and re read a few times more; again thinking deeply. it captures the thoughts and feelings I (we all) am thinking about each time on our own individual caminos, whether in spain or France or the place of our childhood. ie. who was here and is leaving a message for me/us in the future. If I listen hard enough, I’ll hear and understand. Maybe I am a bitPOETS OF THE WIND
And I hear words
in the breath
of yesteryear
spanning time
like an eternal bridge
stronger than steel
lighter
than the snowflakes
that I feel upon my face.
I pay no heed
to cold and rain
for my eyes
are my window panes
down which
words fall
and I can taste them
as I did as child
and smile.
They will serve me well
upon Meseta
mile after mile
that long long aisle
to my next
sleep.
walk soft
stay safe
and
as ever
Vaya
con Dios.
The Malingerer
As I was reading the first 8 or so lines ; I stopped and listened ..and re read a few times more; again thinking deeply. it captures the thoughts and feelings I (we all) am thinking about each time on our own individual caminos, whether in spain or France or the place of our childhood. ie. who was here and is leaving a message for me/us in the future. If I listen hard enough, I’ll hear and understand. Maybe I am a bitcrazy but I do think that way.
Right now in Oz I am listening to the beautiful sound of rain! rain ! It’s been so long. A couple of pigeons have decided to come under my back patio awning to stay dry. They are probably confused with the rain. Thankyou again Maingerer , you are obviously very in tune with the universe.
Buen camino
Annie
THE DEATH OF WILL
Holocaust Memorial Day
has passed
with fine speeches
and promises
to build memorials.
I think of Ireland's dead
in the years of hunger
when almost two million of my people
starved to death
surrounded by plenty.
No apologies for them
or memorials either.
I watch the film " EVEREST"
a tale of bravery
endurance
loyalty
but an exercise in choice.
The mountain makes its own weather
and will always
have the last
word.
Those who climb
know this
and exercise their will
and choice.
Those who die of hunger
in the ditch
have no choice
and neither do those
being marched to the gas chambers.
If I cannot exercise
my choice
or will
is this not humanity's
true Holocaust:
the death of will?
Walk soft
stay safe
and
as evr,
Vaya
con Dios.
The malingerer.
CIARA
The Dark-Hair batters these islands
with her rage
but Ireland
stands strong
with her cliffs in grim and silent defiance.
Twice this day
I have braved the wind
and allowed myself a wrinkly wobble or two.
The trees of park
give me shelter
and whisper old and ancient
thoughts of comfort.
The evergreens encircle me
and an oak stands as buttress
against the gale.
Some branches look
as they soon will fall:
old age?
I lose more neighbours
from cancer
and " age-related " syndromes.
But a pup comes up to play
to remind me of the cycle
as do the daffodils:
waving their bright yellow banners
to welcome spring and life.
Walk soft.
Stay safe
and
as ever
Vaya
con Dios.
The Malingerer.
CONSTANT
Sunlight
dappling the park
between the rains
still shows my trees
standing firm
and sending
thoughts:
" Do not sway
or bend
in the winds
of fanatics
or gurus.
When your hear knows The Way
your feet will follow."
Walk soft
stay safe
And
as ever
Vaya
con Dios.
The Malingerer.
Yes, dear poet! I have just replied on another thread, about markers for language. It was some time ago on this forum that i relaised this is not a place for correcting either command of language or typos. The brain does compensate in the second case, and the first is part of the wonderful melting pot of swirling adaptations to the language pool when our borders are open to all comers.Did you spot the mistake? That should have written " heart" not "hear" !
The malingerer.
Yes, dear poet! I have just replied on another thread, about markers for language. It was some time ago on this forum that i relaised this is not a place for correcting either command of language or typos. The brain does compensate in the second case, and the first is part of the wonderful melting pot of swirling adaptations to the language pool when our borders are open to all comers.
What do you mean, eh? It was not long after I got up that I wrote the above, that is my excuse.
To answer your question, leaving my newly acquired book entitled Hygge, yes I had noticed. Now back to learning about Hygge.
You got it in one. As did I. One euro for a gorgeous little book which holds the secret of Hygge. Watch this space.
PLAGUE AND PROVIDENCE
Fear begins to eat us
restrict our travel
heighten our divisions
corrode our conversations
whilst storm JORGE
grinds our shores.
I look up
as I walk towards
the supermarket
and there he sits
can in hand
one beside him
another at his feet
There is a small smile
on his face
and a look of distance
in his eyes.
He is immune.
Walk soft
stay safe
and
as ever
Vaya
con Dios.
The Malingerer.
WAITING
….can be a hollow Hell
as if one is stuck
inside a giant Burmese python
so vast
you cannot touch the sides
and yet
smothered by the weightlessness
that grows hot
until I make Espresso
rich
dark
sweet
to bring me tales of Java/Sumatra
India's plantations
and Spain
with cascading flamenco
and the dance of death
with the bull.
I reach into the box
at the back of my mind
marked " Reduced to Clear "
and offer it to Waiting
who gracefully accepts the morsel
more for the gesture than size
and the shadows draw back
as we all concede a draw
in the endless game
of life.
Walk soft
stay safe
and as ever
Vaya
con Dios.
The Malingerer.
Well, fix it, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry, well fix it, dear Henry, dear Henry, fix it!Think I messed this one up!
Well, fix it, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry, well fix it, dear Henry, dear Henry, fix it!
I take what you write as morsels, part of a great feast...so, never finished. As ever, thank you.
When I have an error I usually compound it by getting mixed up with the bloody save/edit/preview commands! nowt wrong with the poem itself, its just the wretched typing skills! Having said that, it is a bit of a weird poem which has me wondering about the layers it conceals. They will no doubt bubble up sometime after the blue cheese and home made wine supper!
Yours aye,
The malingerer.
Oh, so lovely! Thank you.
PAINTING
I paint with sound
using my ears as brushes
my heart as easel
and my soul
canvas.
Dawn
the background to the light
on a newborn rose
and a soft rain murmurs
in shades of grey.
The morning blackbird
that coloured my dreams
with song
paints a melody
like arrows
for my feet to follow
and the creak
of my rucksack
from yesteryear
is a lament
and a calling
for Camino
Camino
where all my senses meet
and I
am whole.
Walk soft
stay safe
and
as ever
Vaya
con Dios.
The Malingerer.
SOCIAL DISTANCE
The Virus
tightens
its grip
but loosens
contact
Those that used to hug
falter
at a certain distance
smile weakly
exchange banalities
then on we go
I avoid where possible
and seek new quiet routes
On one
I rounded a corner
the back of an old building
shielded
by the new
A small triangular garden
walled and hedged
caught my eye
neat
despite the overnight man made rain
of bottles and tin cans
A blackbird watches me
quietly
then carries on her task
intent
on collecting nest material
for this now
All else is immaterial
she chirrups
as I leave
in respectful distance
and both we
smile.
Wal soft
stay safe
and
as evr
Vaya
con Dios
The Malingerer.
I wait for your next editions...GRATITUDE
for the morning sun
the rising dawn
the blackbird's song
flight of gull
My café is closed
VIRUS
so I take my stove
and brew tea
in an empty square
peaceful
then I head home
towing my trailer ( Esmeralda)
who glides along
thinking we
are on the
Veedlepee!
Why not?
Next time I'll brew coffee
close my eyes
wait for the morning sun
to rise
on my mountains
with gratitude
for the days they let me
walk
amongst them.
Walk soft stay safe
and
as ever
Via
con Dios
The Malingerer.
I wait for your next editions...
TIMES
A squirrel leaps
along a tree
no virus he
to shackle him
A frustrated yapping dog
paws at the tree
and me
I contemplate
isolation
But the sun has come back
and my chilis grow apace
as my eyes begin to focus
on the blue
seeking black specks
with sickle wings
to let my heart know
always comes
the Camino
and swifts will bring me tidings
until I too
can go.
Walk soft
stay safe
and
as ever
Via
con Dios.
The malingerer.
PRAYER
I feel as if my beloved
Spain
is dying
and I
an ardent lover
cannot touch
I gave my blood
tears
sweat
and had them turned
to flowers
in my mind
Baking sun
freezing wind
rain
used like craftsmen's chisels
to strip away the vanities
on my soul
I am Celt
Iberian
I beseech my Guardian Angel
for return
to walk that earth
my hearth
my home
that the flame within me
will not die
and nor
shall she.
Walk soft
stay safe
and as ever
Vaya
con Dios
The Malingerer.
WINE GUMS
There are those
who preach
about ' nutri bars'
and
energy food
Me
I'm a wine gum fan.
When facing a rise
the body needs
the sugar-rush:
ergo
the wine-gum!
I take two to start
and one
for every halt
till I reach the top
and then two more
before I turn the corner
and yes
another rise awaits
but
I have my wine gums
and slowly slowly
onward go.
This is an old old trick
that was old when first
I learned it
from someone old.
And I wonder
do the youngsters know
where the wine-gums grow?
Walk soft
stay safe
and
as ever
Vaya
con Dios.
The Malingerer.
SENSES
Crows in twos
Rooks in rows
Blackbird solo
Gentle green the grass
Tree in bud
Flower in bloom
The park is silent
or is it?
Man is silent
with no plane
or train
or car
to mask
subdue
Birdsong
Wind whisper
Nature fills our senses
behind the veil of virus
and I wonder
will we learn
raise our heads
from little screens
take buds from out our ears
breathe deep of scented air
or
go back to the cave
we have hewn in our minds
as Earth takes grim revenge
at our destruction.
Stay safe
and as ever
Vaya
con Dios.
The Malingerer.
EASTER
How soft the dawn
this Easter
gliding gently o'er me
like a mother's hand
bringing peace
and warmth.
I do not question
or analyse
but simply let it be
and be
myself
alive
in the moment.
Stay safe.
and
as ever
Vaya
con Dios
The Malingerer
CHILD OF THE SNAKE
Cobra
Goddess of wisdom
and silence
ancient symbol
of an ancient creed
that twined the tau
before
defaced
deformed
to become the symbol
of other.
But I
delved to the source
and made it
my
Tatoo
by weaving in
the Rune of Raido
to wear upon my right shoulder
to call upon for strength
on journey
when walk I soft
in
to
the Sun.
Stay safe
and as ever
Vaya
con Dios
The Malingerer.
WANDER
I made a wander in my mind
this covid morn
and on the timeline met a cormorant
flying low and slow
but straight towards me
She whispered as she circled
of tales and fables
and one bestirred me:
that of " Para Uno "
a fabled albergue
akin
to
Eldorado
I asked her for the ruta
and she smiled and said most gently:
" Why, that is you!"
So I arose
and to my hall I went
to find the things of road
had mad a Gather
for a scallop shell hung from a line
and my poles were in
the corner
My mochilla hung upon its hook
and my boots were cleaned
and cared for
which made me wonder
till I knew
that no matter where I am
or on Camino I go
Always
Always
I am in " Para uno".
Walk soft
stay safe
and
as ever
Vaya
con Dios.
The Malingerer.
FIRST SWIFTS
A small group fills my sky.
The first of 2020.
It may be some time
before my feet
will walk my beloved Spain
but my swifts
have cut the cords that bound me
and now my soul is free
and my heart can soar.
Walk soft
stay safe
and as ever
Vaya con Dios.
The Malingerer.
ISOLATION
The Isolation Angels
are themselves
in Desolation
as the hardened ones
like me
respect no bars
for I
can sit in armchair
and leave my soul
to wander
as heart and mind
make footprints
of their own
as markers
for a future-time
when once again
I'll walk the stones
of Camino
to Home.
Walk soft
stay safe
and as ever
Vaya
con Dios.
The malingerer.
SPRITES
Two trees
thin
I thought were dead
but simply slow to leaf
Now young and slender
I wonder if that once
were lovers
for their tips bend
to each other
regardless of the wind
And I wonder
if they wonder
now Great Silence
is upon us
if man again
will listen to the grass grow
smell the scent in the rain
watch the ripple on the wave
leaving me to muse
sipping my coffee at the bus stop
and sharing crumbs
with a starling
who then flies off
to feed her young
for she too knows
Life
goes on
and I wonder
as I stand here
on this thin crust
of Earth
halfway between the Core
and Sky
will Man regain his wonder
at the gift of Life
with which he lives
his life?
Walk soft
stay safe
and
as ever
Vaya
con Dios.
The Malingerer.
ISOLATION PART II
" For the roof over
the bed under
and food in
much thanks "
This is an old and ancient prayer of mine
which springs to mind
in this time of tears
It reminds me
of being in jail
some years back
I had a roof
my bed was wooden planks
which I sandpapered daily
and my food was
the naval equivalent
of bread and water:
ships biscuit!
They were tough enough
for JAWS himself
but hunger is a great teacher
and I grew to care for them
My flat is now my cell
but more monastic than prison
and my bed has a firm mattress
I like to cook
and this forum gives me
recipes for tortilla
I allow few people to cross over
my threshold
this is sacred space
here I think
write
dream
and when my mind has had enough
in comes the ache
for my feet long
to be on the road
to my hidden places
like the Sierras above Malaga
and the lighthouse
at Finisterre
but jail taught me
a kind of patience
and I pack my ruck
to the supermarket
clutching my poles
still dreaming
still seeking.
Walk soft
stay safe
and as ever
Vaya
con Dios
The malingerer.
a re-edit
IN SEARCH OF MY FATHER
A fly-past of morning swifts
heralds VE day
a strange celebration
where all the honoured guests
are dead
in millions
on the Eastern Front
and millions more
in the ashes of the camps
the battle fields
and the blitzed cities.
My father came back
from all this
to a world that said
" The war is over Stop talking about it."
So he did
and carried on drinking
so I'm told.
And then he was off again.
I was twelve before
we met again
and I had my own war
in years of hell at grammar school
where I was
" that Army kid who never has a uniform".
Separation again
and I was man grown
before the next collision
then off again.
I to sea
and he
to death.
But still I search
through old war films
documentaries like:
" The world at War "
and the news reels of
The Desert War
Sicily
Italy
France
The Invasion
Germany
for he was there in all of them.
I never found him
but this I know:
he loved Spain
and the Swifts remind me
of Seville
sun
and Camino
so perhaps
we found each other after all
when walking on The Way
and when child I am and lost
perhaps
perhaps
my father
holds my hand.
Walk soft
stay safe
and
as ever
Vaya
con Dios.
The Malingerer.
PYRAMID
There is a pyramid
deep
in the sands of my mind
with tunnels
shafts
traps for robbers
and treasure rooms
full of Memory
There are Guardians
for whom
I must know the words
before I pass along
from that secret place
below the base
upwards
via the Winding Route
to the apex
which points
to my star.
Soon
this outer edifice
must crumble
to the desert
and be blown
to a million grains
into The West
But that which is
must reach the apex
perhaps
over many lives
for only when my star returns
to the Birthing Point
in the heavens
can I stand there
brief
then vanish.
Walk soft. Stay safe but be open to Mystery.
And
as ever
Vaya
con Dios.
The Malingerer.
CONVERSATIONS WITH A LADYBIRD
Along the front
quiet
The Fountain
stilled.
I sit
drink green tea
and think.
A ladybird alights
sits on a cobble
and we talk;
words from the heart
of journeys
then and now
Tomorrow perhaps
flights
of wings and thought
to destinations
never known.
Walk soft. Stay safe
and
as ever
Vaya
con Dios.
The malingerer.
ERE I SLEEP
The canyons of the soul
deeper than the Great Trenches
hide other lives
and selves
that
like swifts at dusk
slice across the self-scape
and are gone
on the long migrations
to another world
turning my dream time
into shadow plays
eavesdropping on an existence
calling me
with unfathomed visions
and words like falling leaves
strewing the way
waiting
for my feet to follow.
Walk soft and stay safe
As ever
Vaya
con Dios.
The malingerer.
BOOTS
I open my postal packages
One
a new guide book
Camino Portuguese
the other
a wall map of
The Caminos
I place the book
beside my chair
to slowly savour
and the map has pride of place
upon the wall
I ceremoniously
polish
my boots
remembering what a Gypsy woman told me
long ago
" Son", she said,
no matter that in this place
I have stayed many years,
but never have I taken the wheels
off my caravan
for
even when asleep
I feel them turning
and I
am still a Gypsy."
And I
when polishing my boots
can feel them walking
and I
am still a Pilgrim".
Walk soft,
stay safe
and
as ever
Vaya
con Dios.
The malingerer.
REALITIES
" God has no country"
is written on the tombstone
of YEATS.
and Swifts know no borders.
Blue skies cover all.
Cante jondo
is from the heart
and my old Flamenco LP'S
bring Spain to me
wherever I may be.
I live in at times a shadow world
a parallel
for as I walk
in the morning rain
I am in the mountains
of my soul
and tho my hearing fails
that within hears the whisper
whilst I still feel the quiet
of a village square
and the taste of good red wine
before siesta
The Smile
comes with me
as does the scent
of that bush of incense.
I have created a reality
here within
allowing my feet
to keep my connection
with The Mother
Earth
Camino
Cradle
Grave
Cradle
all my milestones
on
The Way.
Walk soft
Stay safe
and as ever
Vaya
con Dios.
The malingerer.
STONE
Here
long before the trees
holding that memory
of First Time
from Universal Dust and Debris
cradle forming this our planet
Keeper of secrets
needing but the touch
with closed eyes
open heart
hands
to re-connect us
with
that beginning
as did Man
crossing the ice-bridge
from Africa to Iberia
leaving his hand-prints
on cave walls
in token of his journey
from self
to all
to self
bringing a light
like the spark
that glows
in flamenco
and on the footstep way
of Camino
where rocks beneath my feet
remind me
of the comet
and The Stone
that brought me
here.
Walk soft
Stay safe
and
as ever
Vaya con Dios.
The malingerer.
WEST WIND CALLING
As the gull of night
comes angling in
on slanted wings
driving the storm before him
In his beak he carries
fragments of a time-line:
The Gannet's Path
from Alba to Iceland
Greenland
Canada
The Americas
when the Norse-men took their boats
into the sun.
I face West
my Guardian of the South West corner
on my left
my Mithras bull
asking him for the Attributes:
Patience
Pace
Courage
and Strength.
On my right
the Guardian of the North-West
my high-flying eagle
bringer of visions
She I ask
for the understanding of dreams
and the will to follow them
for the West Wind calls
as if to gently chide me
for clinging
to this time and space
I
God's Wanderer in the Void
must go
for tho
they call it the New World
I wonder
There is an ancient depth there
that cradles
a long-ago
and is now knocking
on my window pane
with rain
from out the West.
Walk soft . Stay safe.
And as ever
Vaya
con Dios.
The malingerer.
???I am now samarkand with new avatar!
con Dios.
samarkand
???
I don’t understand ? There is already a member called samarkand
you twigged on yet as to " samarkand"? kublai khan?Next poem: ships passing in the night, heading to southern Uzbekistan
I confess I'm a bit wooden headed right now. I did the bad thing and googled and while I will go back to read the poem Kublai Khan again, I don't make the link. I need more time, dear malingerer/samarkand!
Ah Samarkand! Caution! Laudanum! Opium! The Wedgwood Brothers! Stick to the simple paths, needing no alternative consciousness. Methinks you do already. What can you do with this sky? Taken 5 seconds apart, and maybe 60 degrees angle to the right on the blue sky one.
View attachment 78736View attachment 78737
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
To the Malingerer wherever you may be, I too have done some writing in prose form about the Camino, and just having read yours, I am very glad to have read them as they are great. Patricki 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
To the Malingerer wherever you may be, I too have done some writing in prose form about the Camino, and just having read yours, I am very glad to have read them as they are great. Patrick
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