Walking the Camino

It is a gruelling journey
you push past all limits
you tire so often every day
your fears are pushed to the shadows
the exhaustion takes away the doubts

Three dogs bark up ahead on the trail
and you bang your walking sticks down as hard as you can
you talk to yourself ‘Just come near me, I’m invincible’
and your dreams are gone to somewhere you can’t find
the nights are for healing and rest, not for dreaming

That man coming towards you with a tall shadow and pack
he might rob you or rape you or assault you in another way
and the only weapons you have are your mind and your sticks
but your mind is set on Santiago and the incense burner
and mass with holy people all around, including you in the circle

My Humorous Book About The Camino

Yes, I’m writing a book about my month walking the camino de Santiago. And I need your help!

A title needs to be catchy…and if you know me it has to be funny. Which do you like? Vote by leaving me your favorite.

1. I lost my double chin on the camino

2. I hate hills! But I love the camino!

3. Walking the camino is for the birds…and ME!

4. How much farther to the next town?

5. Why did I decide to walk the camino? Will someone please tell me?

My Mind is Running Wild on the Camino de Santiago

It really amazes me how my plans to walk the camino in Northern Spain

have changed my life in so many ways.

I’ve joined a gym and started learning zumba

and my muscles are tightening up and the fat is decreasing.

I’ve met a lady who is going to teach me Spanish so that I

can enjoy talking to the locals in Northern Spain.

I’ve been reading books about the camino experience of others and

I’ve watched The Way and many videos on youtube to help me understand the trail.

So whether I ever get to walk the 800 km or not

in my mind I’m already there in so many ways that matter.

Map of the way of St James In Europe

Callum, Little Dove

You sleep so peacefully , little one

Your hands clenched as if ready for battle

What are your dreams?

Do you fight off monsters as you nap?

Are faces of mommy and daddy there in your thoughts

Rest easy, tiny one, for your body is growing each second

Your parents watch your little twitches and have big dreams for you as you sleep

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Dull Days Delight

There is something about a dull day

all grey and serene that makes me move

While the sunny days make me go too fast

and often be a little careless

The dull days egg me on to make something better

to brighten up my home and my friends’ outlooks

It’s like the opposite effect from what you’d expect

no lying around dead as a door knob or sleeping too long

I’m more alert when the world seems serene

and a book or a movie just won’t suffice

I need to get going before the day wanes away

and I can’t get it back!

Dreaded Dental Visit

I have to say

I’m not that happy today

even though my trip to the dentist went okay

He seemed amazed to see

my mouthful of fillings that are part of me

have no obvious cavity

No flossing at all

takes my time or makes me stall

but the scraping of metal against my teeth nearly makes me ball

Each trip to my dentist makes me vow

that this time I’ll floss and I’ll really learn how

to eat good grub

and drink healthy fluids as my finances allow

 

Icebergs In My View

The two floated into my sight yesterday

White as anything I’d ever seen before

Like two slabs of vanilla ice cream

Sitting silently among the grayness of broken waves

With seabirds perching for a break from flight and hunting

And a few souls in small boats coasting alongside

The Tiny Tartan Skirt

I visited Shamrock City for the umpteenth time

and noticed the servers wearing my old tartan skirt

the cloth slight against their tiny hips and legs

bringing back memories of the years of wearing the mini skirts

with the nuns breathing down our necks each day of high school

checking to see if the length needed attention

Often the skirts would be coupled with yellow shirts

or tartan vests and a yellow turtleneck

more clothes at the top than at the bottom

with penny loafers on my feet and nylons on my legs

the fashionable fare of our lives at St. Francis Xavier in Deer Lake

hoping that lustful young men could contain their desires

leaving us to admire ourselves in mirrors and before the watchful eyes

The past is now the present and these young girls are hoping for tips

and the owners are feeling proud of their heritage having their workers so dressed

images of a slim me smiling as I comb my long hair getting ready for the day

walking quickly towards my future with fashionable or skimpy clothing

wondering who is their right mind had decided on Newfoundland tartan

for I’m sure the Presentation Sisters did not come up with the mini skirt

making their days miserable having to keep them measured to help us keep our chastity

with the smirks of all the brazen lot of us lined up and a yard stick not far from our knees

When It Rains

I blissfully slip the surly bonds

of earth and no one can awaken me

even if there was an emergency

something that needs my attention

as I drift into that realm where I meet up

with ancestors who have gone before me

I rest so solidly that my cells say thank you

and my body repairs itself under cover of darkness

with the music of the rain  playing on my window pane

The Sound of the Wind

Makes me want to grind my teeth

And run away to a quieter place

To forget about the slapping rain

When the wind slams it against my house