Odes

They promised me a bread to eat
And in return took my fields.

They promised me a river to drink
And in return took my sea

They promised me a home to dwell
And in return took my country

They promised me a smile to cherish
And in return took my happiness

They promised me a moon to gaze
And in return took my sun.

The fields are now pale and barren.
The rivers are now dry and withered.

O my Wishful-Gem*
You are the one and only  now I have….

© Tenzin Jigdal

(* a figurative reference to His Holiness the Dalai Lama)

O children of the night
Too long you’ve dwelled in the slumbers beneath,
Hear me now and consider one more step.
Step forth to the other side
Where all is too bright
Set alight by the gift and the curse
That Prometheus hath brought upon men.

Shed some of your darkness but not all
Before the light consumes us all and leave none.
Like the raging fury of the great Zeus
The light blazes far and wide in all realms.
Wherever you are I ask thee
O children of the night hear me now.

Greed, power we all fall prey to.
The reality before our eyes dismembered.
Politics, money, shenanigans,
dancing to its tunes like puppets
Until the strings betray us all.
Nor the alchemist or the shaman of the great Indians
can stop this rage of fire now.

Justice blindfolded and stripped naked
In the streets of injustice,
exposed to humiliation and ignominy
is now dead ten times more than a death on its own.
Souls of the dead squirm and whimper in
the shadows of the light.
Plastic toys but all is what we have become.

O Children of the night
Wherever you are, hear me now.
Shed some of your darkness but not all
Before the light consumeth all and leave none.

The great vulcan above me,
that endless colors of the wind &
thousand sentiments of the sky
he who has endured,
i stopped by to ask:
"tell me what is that you seek
in this wide turquoise sky?Stars?"
and this he replied:"Freedom"

The mighty mouse beside me,
that endless faces of the time &
thousand ages of the rocks
he who has witnessed,
i stopped by to ask:
"tell me what is that you seek
in these cold gray mountains?Treasures?"
and this he replied:"A Home"

The gentle whale beneath me,
that endless murkiness of the life &
thousand solitude of the ocean
he who has journeyed,
i stopped by to ask:
"tell me what is that you seek
in these deep blue waters?"
and this he replied:"A Family"

And so i left at last,
veering off that same old road,
away from the crossroads,
deep into the woods
in pursuit of the three!

When road ever betray you
Believe your will and stay true
For the star will rise anew
And guide you all way through.

When solitude creep in you,
Listen your heart and feel it too,
For the star will stand beside in lieu,
And shoulder that friend to you.

Beyond the clouds, it shines
Like pearl's glitter in thy eyes
Forever sheds that light true
The North Star there for you…

And here I stand at last-
the other half of me lying
across that 3-Feet-Tall border.

No other fences grew
Except for the barb wires
Which along the border lay.

The birds above must find it queer,
my hands stretched desperate
to seize a piece of my land across.

And before I unite again, I must leave.
Yet I shall return, I promise,
Taller than the 3-Feet-Tall border.

My one half here
And the other half there-
Both in exile lie
Across that 3 -Feet -Tall border.

Autumn leaves fall,
helpless and soundless,
undisturbs the slumbers
of the ground beneath.

The tree stands in solitude.
no shelter of its own,
no shoulders to lean on,
braves alone winter’s cold.

Whispering winds
singing lullabies,
rock the leaves to sleep
in its cradle beneath.

Patient and unwearied,
ready to break free
from the shackles of time,
they await the moment.

They await…

There... amidst that field,
lying fresh and pure,
butterflies dancing wild and free,
I last felt the touch of her beauty.

There... by that river,
slithering smooth and naked,
currents playing the notes of life,
I last drank the wisdom of her innocence.

There... under that tree,
standing high and strong,
birds singing song of time,
I last shed the tears of her sorrows.

There... on that hill,
kneeling low and humble,
winds whispering the tales of yester-years,
I last saw her in her entirety.

There... beyond the Himalayas,
forever extending,
standing high and relentless,
lies she. Waiting...
forever waiting...