Tenzin Tsundue's

BETRAYAL

My father died

defending our home,

our village, our country.

I too wanted to fight.

But we are Buddhist.

People say we should be

peaceful and non-violent.

So I forgave my enemy.

But sometimes I feel

I betrayed my father.




Refugee

When I was born
my mother said
you are a refugee.
Our tent on the roadside
smoked in the snow.

On your forehead
between your eyebrows
there is an R embossed
my teacher said.

I scratched and scrubbed,
on my forehead I found
a brash of read pain.

I have three tongues.
The one that sings
is my mother tongue.

The R on my forehead
between my English and Hindi
the Tibetan tongue reads:

R A N G Z E N

Freedom means Rangzen


...