the long walk

The long walk (Serra de Estrella)

?

Crossing from France to Portugal, my car got stuck

in the snow, on the mountain of Sierra de Estrella

It was the year when much snow fell, but I walked on

coming down, I felt like Moses and his tablets.

It was getting warmer; the first to go was my coat

and tie, later my trousers jacket

Over Alentejo, it was hot; I traded my trousers with

a tramp who gave me his shorts and sandals.

When I arrived in Vilamoura, I was stopped by the police

and asked who I was. “English, I Said.” “No, you are not.”

“Yes, I’m” “No, you are not a proper English man

who will always wear socks with his sandals.”