Pilgrim’s Progression…

Pilgrim has a difficult birth
 but his brain is too young
for it to leave scars
his mother’s body is not so lucky
pilgrim will be her last baby

pilgrim has a special place
in his mother’s heart
 And she weeps when kids at school
call him not special, but runt
and she hugs him tighter

Pilgrim walks his own path
with few companions in real life
but books and films fill his imagination
with places, heroes, villains vanquished
and true love found, he is not lonely

Pilgrim breezes through college
blossoming in the fresh soil
where no one knows his story
finds friends, and adventurers of the mind
though love as yet eludes him

Pilgrim charts a course for his future
he is not afraid to take the lonely road
in search of knowledge of the world
what he discovers, under northern skies
will change the world for everyone

Pilgrim’s reports are not welcomed
by everyone but he has seen the truth
and slurs and spurs of fortuneers
hold no power over Pilgrim
who pushes  truth to power regardless

Pilgrim finds love amongst his supporters
a heart attuned to his values
body set to walk beside him
Pilgrim sees how life has led him
to this place, his love – in and out of the world

Pilgrim led the way
thousands followed in his footsteps…

© Andrew Wilson, 2026

Over at dVerse Poets Pub, Björn Rudberg (brudberg) in Poetics, invites us to write a poem on the theme of pilgrimage…