The Tale of Billy Pilgrim
The Tale of Billy Pilgrim
by Bill Artz | North Salt Lake, UT
All this happened, more or less,
Billy Pilgrim, a fisherman, in quiet duress,
Lived by the shores of Lake Michigan’s grace,
’til one dawn revealed his sight erased.
So it goes, so it goes,
Every pilgrim bears their woes.
God bestows what we may lack,
So it goes, no turning back.
Blindness wrapped him in shadowed despair,
Until a surgeon’s gifted care
Restored a glimmer, a fragile light—
A blessing that turned his soul upright.
Through fear and longing, Billy prayed,
By a film, The Way, inspired, he stayed.
“I’ll walk for God, for this gift of sight,
The Camino’s path shall be my light.”
So it goes, so it goes,
Every pilgrim’s journey flows.
Promises made, their weight bestowed,
So it goes, so it goes.
A year had passed, his promise pressed,
On Rocinante, his steel-clad quest,
Billy set forth, his faith aglow,
To pedal where pilgrims’ footsteps go.
From St. Jean Pied de Port’s embrace,
Through hills and storms, the sacred space,
500 miles to Compostela’s spire,
Fueled by hope, by heart, by fire.
So it goes, so it goes,
Every pilgrim feels and knows,
The Camino gives, the spirit grows,
So it goes, so it goes.
The Lord looked down through weeping skies,
Guiding Billy as he tried,
Through thunder’s roar and lightning’s flash,
He pedaled past the world’s harsh clash.
Beneath the stars in the thin-space air,
Billy felt God’s presence there,
And when he reached Santiago’s embrace,
His heart sang prayers of endless grace.
Hugging St. James, the truth revealed,
A sight renewed, his soul was healed.
Call it miracle, faith, or chance—
Billy knew it was God’s dance.
So it goes, so it goes,
Every pilgrim comes and goes.
Once was blind, but now I see,
So it goes, eternally.
