poetic journeys: refugio

Refugio

Los peregrinos shake the dust from
their zapatos de andar,
leaving los paisajes outside the door.

They deposit their bastones de caminar
into the large clay jar by la puerta,
wash off el dia in la ducha.

They launder their camisas y calzoncillos
y calcetines and hang them with
their toallas pequeñas

on the clothesline in the scant afternoon
luz de sol, retrieving fresh clothes from their mochillas.
They toast their amigos peregrinos,

raising glasses of vino tinto o vino blanco
o vino verrano, o sparkling cerveza limón.
They laugh, or chat, or

write with las plumas in sus diarios,
spilling los instantes of their day onto the pages,
their secretos, their inocencias.

Por la tarde, they might have a siesta do oro,
their pasaportes and dinero
wrapped snugly around their waists.

Later, when the temblores of sunlight have faded
and the great darkness desciende al día,
they toss and turn between sabanas of paper

or cocooned inside sacos de dormir,
their snores punctuating el silencio,
disturbing la luz de la luna.

The dreams of sus espíritus
seek voice in ríos of sleep,
on literas crowded into los dormitorios.

Por la mañana, many flow oeste on el camino
in la oscuridad, hoping their hearts will lift
with la salida del sol, on echoes of wind,

singing away through España.
Is this how they pray –
Un pie en frente del otro?

*******************

Here’s the poem in English:

Refuge

The pilgrims shake the dust from
their walking shoes,
leaving the landscapes outside the door.

They deposit their walking poles
into the large clay jar by the door,
wash off the day in the shower.

They launder their shirts and underpants
and socks and hang them with
their tiny towels

on the clothesline in the scant afternoon
sunlight, retrieving fresh clothes from their backpacks.
They toast their pilgrim friends,

raising glasses of red wine or white wine or
summer wine, or sparkling lemon beer.
They laugh, or chat, or

write with pens in their diaries,
spilling the moments of their day onto the pages,
their secrets, their innocence.

In the afternoon, they might have a golden nap,
their passports and money
wrapped snugly around their waists.

Later, when the tremors of sunlight have faded
and the great darkness descends on the day,
they toss and turn between paper sheets

or cocooned inside sleeping bags,
their snores punctuating the silence,
disturbing the moonlight.

The dreams of their spirits
seek voice in rivers of sleep, on
bunk beds crowded into dorm rooms.

In the morning, many flow west on the road
in the darkness, hoping their hearts will lift
with the sunrise, on echoes of wind,

singing away through Spain.
Is this how they pray –
One foot in front of the other?

*************************

“POETRY” Invitation:  I invite you to write a poem of any poetic form on your own blog about a particular travel destination.  Or you can write about travel in general. Concentrate on any intention you set for your poetry.

In this case, one of my intentions was to write a poem about some aspect of the Camino mixing Spanish and English words (p. 158 Poetry Everywhere).

You can either set your own poetic intentions, or use one of the prompts I’ve listed on this page: writing prompts: poetry.  (This page is a work in process).  You can also include photos, of course.

Include the link in the comments below by Thursday, February 28 at 1:00 p.m. EST.  When I write my post in response to this challenge on Friday, March 1, I’ll include your links in that post.

This will be an ongoing invitation, on the first Friday of each month. Feel free to jump in at any time. 🙂

I hope you’ll join in our community. I look forward to reading your posts!