A Pilgrim on the Way
A Pilgrim on the Way
by Tom Friesen | London, Ontario, Canada
A poem song written to the tune of Kingsfold (Medieval English Tune – “I Feel the Winds of God Today”, YouTube video here if you’d like to listen to a choral version of the original while reading.)
I hear the Camino calling me,
It bids me on my Way,
To take my pack; go fancy free
Where the wind and clouds do play.
Watch the poppies blow against the fields
Hear the cuckoos call to me
See cruceros at the crossroads there.
Where my soul has liberty.
I came to the Camino once
Was lost in joy and praise.
I found my comfort in the smiles
As we felt our spirits raise.
I remember all the glorious times,
In sunshine and in rain.
The rest that our steps had earned
With pleasure and with pain.
We followed yellow arrows there
And shells upon the street,
Cafés and shelters everywhere
For pilgrims there to meet.
Celebrated as we raised up high
Our glasses in the air,
Met each other’s gaze, eye to eye
Lived Heaven on Earth there.
That same sun now shines down on me.
Though I be far away
Many miles from where it now exists
I feel the Camino’s sway,
I long for the simplicity
As we pack, then walk each day
Refined by gratitude to be
A Pilgrim on the Way.
Editor’s note: Tom also wrote of the importance of music during his hospitalero stint.
