Still Refugee

'R' stands for Refugee

My mind is restless

Constantly in quest of answers

For which I fail miserably

While time flies by mercilessly.

And I remain static and still

Reminding me I am still refugee.

I have heard enough of nations

Rise and fall and rise again.

When will time for Tibet come?

I wonder and remain utterly unknown

For they say “might is right”

Which I believe is China’s pride.

I wonder about with exile permit

Could never get ‘home’ so far.

I need to feel and say with proud

This is my ‘home’ and my destiny

And do away with the exile tag

Before I can reasonably demand to live life

For I am 26 sans a sight of Tibet yet.

Despite the killings on spree in Tibet

Thanks to infamous CCP hands

The spirit of nationalism still grows

With time, it will be hard and solid

Take the shape of a horn of full-grown bull.

And only then will China take notice of us meek so far

And say, yes, “Free Tibet”, let’s go back

Until then I will be still refugee

This is getting an age-old feeling.

Written sometime in November 2009.

My Hero

'They' kill me deep within

And hurt me most

Attacking the core of my pride

My culture, my identity

My religion, my hero

Tenzin Gyatso.

They name call

And ridicule him

To mar his position

In the global arena

But strong and

Determined as ever

Off he starts everyday

Preaching ‘peace’

In an undying spirit

To the mighty China

Whom he has forgiven

My hero Tenzin Gyatso

A rock star of peace

A symbol of principles

A divine soul nurtured

By Buddhist values

He is my real hero

Tenzin Gyatso

May you live long.

Written sometime in November 2009.

CCP can’t choose my parent!

As a little boy growing up in a Tibetan refugee camp in 1990s, I remember once asking my parents (well my father) about the 15th Dalai Lama and he didn’t take it kindly and gave me a good rebuke. In Buddhist tradition, it is not allowed because it is considered unreligious to talk of a Lama’s future reincarnation when he is still alive. And here we, the Tibetans, are worried and talking about the future reincarnation of Dalai Lama. To all Tibetans and Buddhists worldwide, it is already a very saddening experience to hear and talk about the present Dalai Lama’s future incarnation thanks to China’s ridiculous meddling in the issue to meet its political agenda. In the process, I feel we have discounted the relative significance of the present Dalai Lama in anticipation of the next Dalai Lama’s question – a feeling that my father would have shared had it been that he is still alive.