On a pilgrimage of sorts

· by · in dVerse, poetry. ·

Ahead, as marked by cairns,
our path
meanders, crawls
beneath the bluffs,
through forests and across
a frothing stream
over rocks while
step
by step
we find ourselves
renewed.

Later, guided by
the whispering breeze
our shadows tracks
the ridges and diving into
valleys deep below,
never lost, we follow
a direction
laid out long before.

We do not talk,
but listen
to our footfalls, heartbeat
and breath in harmony
with the song of birds,
we watch the wind
and taste the scent
of last night’s rain and soil.

Days ahead
a goal is waiting
unless we change our minds,
or we reach a place
with fellow walkers
willing to share stories
in a hut.

At break we gaze
at clouds
you point and say
“I see an elephant”
but I can only see a pig
chasing a princess,
which is just
the thing with clouds.

At night
we listen to a moonless sky,
our tent, the home we carried
hugs us gently
as we slowly drift to sleep.

We wake to rain
lashing, a gale
pulling the guy lines
shaking condensation
onto our beds;
so, in a hurry
we break the camp
continue onward
as we have miles to go
step by step,
before we rest again,
as we did
the day before.

Today I have the prompt about pilgrimage on dVerse where we try to think about everything else a pilgrimage except the reason to reach a sacred object in the end.

September 22, 2026

42 responses to “On a pilgrimage of sorts”

  2. Wonderful poem of one of your treks. I admire you and your wife for having the fortitude to have journeyed this way multiple times. *Love* the picture. You look strong and happy in it.

  4. Thank you for sharing a piece of your journey. Sometimes, its about the journey not the destination. A lovely photo the landscape is beautiful.

  6. I liked the cloud watching interruption, at first wondering what was happening. Great journey you took us on Björn 👏

    There are some nice mountain walks where I am in Thailand but I wouldn’t want to do more than a couple of hours at a time these days.

  7. That whimsical moment of cloud-watching—seeing a pig chasing a princess while your companion sees an elephant—was such a delightful interlude! As shaun tenzenmen noted, it brings such warmth to the physical trek. Magnificent dVerse prompt response, Björn!

  8. Sounds like a fabulous hike. There is something about clouds on my recent journey I too was finding so many interesting worlds up there in the sky. There is nothing like hiking in the wilderness for the soul.

  11. I most especially love the third stanza here. Your treks with Lotta are just a wonderful part of your lives together. You’ve shared some of that here with us. Thank you!

  14. Those extra special, mundane, and even difficult moments make the journey memorable and worthwhile! Thanks for the prompt, Bjorn, and for sharing your trekking experience 😀

  16. “I see an elephant”but I can only see a pigchasing a princess,which is justthe thing with clouds.

    A reminder that we are all separate though walking in lockstep, Björn…

  18. I really enjoyed you sharing this connection experienced with nature, immersed in the moment, companionable silence, open to whatever each step will reveals. Lovely prompt 💞

I try to reciprocate all comments. If you want me to visit a particular post, please direct me directly to that post.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.