Sunday November 23
*
A steep rise
into the morning
beneath the open sky
a glimpse back across the space
to the light of my long day
slight gentle patient
beautiful one
and to her then to silently say
to tell of the moment
rock first appeared
between the troughs
of restless waves in the Tethys sea
so very long ago
Ages upon ages passed
and Tethys was no more
But the mountain remained
a great and lofty sentinel
almost seven thousand feet above high and arid plain
so grand the mountains nearby
cling to the earth
in homage to its presence
Through the eons
At it’s height vast star filled heaven
at it’s feet twin lakes
Turqoise Manasarovar grew in form like sun
Rakshas Tal like moon
As it gazed
into the four directions
serene noble benign
it sent flowing water
to each
to bless the lands below
From the North it sent forth Indus
to sustain all Asia’s cradle
From the South it sent Karnali
to swell Ganges in its valley
that inspired holy life of India
From the East the Brahmaputra
that gave life to Tibetan sage and pilgrim
and thence through
great Himalayas
to Bengal
And from the South the Sutlej
to sustain Tibetan mystics
and bathe the weary villager
in the plains of India far below
And not yet finished
it sent
from its three noble shining faces
sun's light flashing out to space
to places far beyond all
that is known
And its name
is Mount Kailas
the Gang Rinpoche
Precious snow mountain
of Tibet
Lotus blossoms rest
upon the window sill
and so we wait
two as one
we our effort
real and lasting
slight gentle
beautiful one
November 21
* courtesy of A Luminous Diamond (Bright) Crystal Show productions.
reference material for the poem is courtesy of the Footprint Tibet handbook by Gyurme Dorje.