Sunday April 24
*
A glimpse
forth toward the steep climb
to the leading light of my long day
slight gentle beautiful determined bright one
patiently making her way
she firmly alone firmly herself
to quietly remind me
that not so far away
for she I we two
our warm and bright future day
and to her then to say to tell
of where the Batang chu
flows into great Yangtze Dri chu
And of the sound of wings
beating with a whistling hum
powerful beyond imagination
darkness beneath the mountain light
shadow upon the stony earth
From crevice in the rocks sounds a menacing hiss
rising up into the air
whipping lashing everywhere
a poisonous snake strikes
with aim unerring
as it has countless times
over millenia
its fangs sink deep
into the chest
of the winged being
The being to stagger for an instant
its head to bow
as if in homage to
end invevitable
The sudden cry
tears across vastness of space
then a rolling thundering laugh
strangely good natured
as the snake pulled free
is lightly set aside
For it is the Garuda Jakhyung
wondrous being of Shang shung
half bird half human
to this creature
of awesome splendor
the deadliest of venoms
are as nothing
and it has come
to valley of Batang chu
To placate
the most powerful serpents of all
immortal spirits of earth
the naga kings
they who feel the pulse of earth
its pain from human carelessness
and disrespect
until they strike
in their turn
with drought
storms flames pestilence
accidents death all the pain
the natural world
can visit upon
an erring humankind
The skies darken
the earth trembles
thousands of miles away
the sea stirs and roils
yet the voice of the garuda
remains quiet and kind
with divine reason it makes
its plea until the angry ones
release their terrible hold
upon this land
But we will strike
again yet as we must
for humankind always forgets
but to you we leave
our mark upon this place
As they did
on the Batang flows
through a land
whose ground
more time than any know
has been life sustaining
in its bounty
to uncountable beings
this valley of Batang chu
place of the Jakhyung
Look beautiful one
in the town
of Batang that once bore
it's name Jakhyung
a statue of it stands
for Tibetans have not forgotten
All this not so wonderful
to my straining eyes
as your determined beauty
and swift uplifted grace
that endures with patient dignity
this that I see in you
beneath the open sky
on this afternoon
of our spring of working
and waiting
and weaving
Lotus blossoms rest
upon the window sill
and so we wait
two as one
we our effort
real and lasting
slight gentle
beautiful one
April 18
* courtesy of A Luminous Diamond (Bright) Crystal Show productions.
reference material for the poem is courtesy of the Footprint Tibet handbook by Gyurme Dorje.