Manifesto of the Perfect Pilgrim

To you, who shall wander far away; to you, pilgrim, tailed by a thousand voices.
Are you ready for a long journey—to leave everything behind and never look back?
What will you pack in your suitcase of memories? Mind you, travel light and fast.
The roads are in bad condition, and the means of transportation are slow and unsafe,
but you want to go faster still.
Make those treacherous merchants bite your dust,
even as they try selling themselves on horrible, noisy bandwagons
in the middle of piazzas crowded with nothingness.
Be sure the memories you carry in that rickety suitcase will serve for all seasons:
spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
And don't forget a pallet, for many nights you will spend outdoors
(embrace the meaning),
sleeping under a vault of stars.
From now on, the world will be your home.
Be wary, wanderer, for many are the roads.
Some lead to dark chasms where your spirit might turn to shadow,
crushed under the weight of events.
Even worse, the signs meant to direct you are all wrong—
so give them names that fit your purpose.
Customs tariffs are often steep, and the only currency they accept is your soul.
Yet, you must cross the border.
Brutes with grim faces will stare at you from their armors of iron and prejudice.
They are the guardians—men paid by masters to strip hope from the hearts of travelers.
Any attempt to reason with them is useless,
for these automatons hold no opinions of their own.
Stay true to your road.
Never stop.
And the day you discover yourself,
you will be ready to dive into the spiral of the capsized eight.
You have now read the manifesto of the perfect pilgrim,
who set off one May day in search of destiny,
encased in mysterious symbols—lost relics that perhaps never existed beyond himself.
But fear not.
What truly matters is the joy of outpacing the merchants
as you run on the fast legs of your mind;
the thrill of vanquishing the guardians and their prejudices
and finally leaving behind the masters and their millions.
Be a crisp, young breeze,
and nothing and nobody will ever catch you;
be a lively, tenacious fire,
and nothing and nobody will ever quench you.
Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!

by Jason R. Forbus