Peregrinati

Deborah Beach Giordano
© October 21, 2010

Following You, my Lord,
is never dull,
for the landscape is
ever-changing,
like shifting desert sands
or a swiftly running stream;
even though I long
for predictability:
for things to remain
just as they are;
in the place I’ve found
my comfort level –
or at least
discomfort I can live with. 

But with You, my Lord,
I’m always aiming
at a moving target,
a silver-clad knight
chasing after
the white hart –
the glorious, regal
and mysterious stag
that vanishes
in the forest,
seemingly
taken up
into the mists.

Traveling through
the far country,
across unknown terrain,
meeting strangers,
facing dangers,
tasting pleasures,
resisting temptations,
in determined pursuit
of the marvelous,
elusive prey.

The only constant
is endless change –
and my God,
my Lord,
that’s hard;
it means
I have to renew
my faith in You
again every day,
and find in each new
person,
place,
and thing
how the Gospel
will apply.

It means
I must persist
in prayer,
stay hopeful
and prepared,
and learn
to travel light:
to carry only
love and peace
and leave regrets
behind.