PILGRIMAGE

Three pilgrims under a dark moon,
dusty road wayfarers from the Valley of the One Eyed God,
they steal away and turn their backs.

Serenity slips
as prescient charlatans
embrace a new path

Festive days, enamored with merely joy and celebration of life,
turkeys, pies, the trappings of a potential holiday,
a day of giving, a celebration of love.

Three pilgrims fall out
from rank and file foot path
another heart beat

another pulse heard
in murmurs so faintly, at first, like a dreaming
far from the flickering cold static roar.

All dared to flee the Cyclopes
their flight illuminated by unseen moonlight
from the bow and arrow of Artemis.

Clinging fear within nirvana’s journey begins
goddess radiance buoys our undiminished thinly fleshed spirit
as minstrel children wave

Three wounded warriors limping towards hope.
Being humbled by strife, they know full well
any fool can kill, yet few nuture life.

These Vagabonds Three,
they huddle and cling to each other.
Pray that their Hero's Journey be rewarded

The journey is long,
excruciating. Lonesome
worlds impossible.

Pilgrims, warriors, vagabonds three,
different and yet dependant on eachother.
Their names are Life, Magic, and Love.

Shunning despair as destiny.
Embracing hope for an unknown future,
their innermost moves them on

Passion outstripping fear.
Dreams and visions informing the uncharted.
The will to human embrace outshining disappointment and disillusion,

knowing why
not knowing where
they go.

___________________________
1) Enfield presented the first stanza of this poem with proposed guidlelines on 10/09/07
2) PROSE-rhyming not prohibited, but not necessary
3) Contributions in 3 line stanzas
4) Eth and Enfield agreed to close the poem on Angelo's succinct final verse, without further discussion, on 10/12/07

Writers: Enfield, Tim O., Don A., Ethel, Ray, Christo, Terry G., Angelo