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Poem reflecting on the Trail for Humanity walk

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Walkers and supporters of the Trail for Humanity 350 mile walk from Merced to San Ysidro, CA, in support of undocumented children and women crossing the border. PHOTO/EDWARD CASTRO
Walkers and supporters of the Trail for Humanity 350 mile walk from Merced to San Ysidro, CA, in support of undocumented children and women crossing the border.
PHOTO/EDWARD CASTRO

By Valeska Castaneda, mother and one of the organizer’s of the Trail for Humanity. They walked 350+ miles to support the plight of undocumented children/adults crossing the border. They marched from Merced to San Ysidro, CA.
MERCED, CA — It starts in the pit of my stomach. Then I feel it fiercely grow. It starts pulsing and transforms into a powerful ache that moves like water through the rest of my body and refuses to end until I have walked my last steps of the day.
Something deeper is moving us all now, and I honestly feel it is the prayers and thoughts of the community, even now as I write this, there are hundreds praying for our health and safety. That’s the only explanation I have. I’ve walked 19 days straight and still have no blisters and today we were supposed to end our 15 miles in Sylmar, California, but we decided to walk an extra two miles to be greeted by the community of Pacioma, ending at 287 miles, showing the world how deep the will of humanity runs when it refuses to be silenced. In Lak’ech Ala K’in, (You are my other me. If I do harm to you I do harm to myself. If I love and respect you I love and respect myself.)

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