| Time |
Wednesday, November 2 · 5:00pm – 7:00pm
|
|---|---|
| Location |
Chinese Consulate 443 Shatto Place Los Angeles, CA |
| Created By | |
| More Info |
 100 Thousand Poets for Change is organizing on Global Action Day for Tibet to stand in solidarity with the Tibetan people against oppression from China. Local poets will be reading and passing out poems by Tibetan poets Tenzin Tsundue, Tsoltim N. Shakabpa, Jigme Dorjee DAGYAP, Woeser, and Tsering Dhompa. |
Photo credits to photos below:
The photo album of Tibetan Association of Southern California.
Please read the attached poems.
Thank you.
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THIS LIFE
By Tsoltim N. Shakabpa
This life, this life
This changing life
Taking us on a journey
On the mercurial river of life
Gently and pleasantly at times
Lifting us to heavenly heights
Roughly and irascibly at other times
Smothering us in its waters
Passing through lush green fields of joy and glory
Ensnaring us in precipitous gorges of toil and trouble
Churning out lustrous successes to celebrate
And hurling fated failures to bemoan
Twisting and turning
The river dispenses healthy doses of euphoric feeling
Which make us jump for joy
Then injects painful fluids of sorry sickness
Which ensconce us on beds of virulent thorns
O what a life!
This journey on the river of life
That ineluctably ends in the ocean of death
Which envelopes us in its depth and vastness
And delivers us on the fertile shores of waiting wombs
To be reborn once more to ride the waves of the capricious river
Copyright: Tsoltim N. Shakabpa – 2011
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WE CAN AND WE MUST
By Tsoltim N. Shakabpa
I have vanquished evil with good
And conquered cancer with prayers
I have found how an Apple changed the world
And experienced momentous changes in my life
I have read David killed Goliath
And sighted little ants subdue killer hornets
I have watched tiny seeds bloom into gorgeous flowers
And observed diminutive termites destroy mammoth houses
I have witnessed people power topple dreadful dictators
And noticed that everything is impermanent in this world
I have established that dreams can be realized if put into action
And heard a voice in the wilderness overcome racial discrimination
I have seen non-violent movements achieve independence for countries
And viewed a commando shoot down the world’s most feared terrorist
I have observed the moon reflect the sun’s rays to shed light upon the earth at night
And discovered how inquisitive tinkering in a garage led to life changing achievements in technology
So can Tibetans achieve freedom from China?
Yes we can and we must!
Copyright: Tsoltim N. Shakabpa – 2011
=================================================
DEVIL IN DISGUISE
By Tsoltim N. Shakabpa
She buys influence with money
Lies to paint a rosy picture of Tibet
She rules autocratically in the name of nationalism
Destroys human fetuses in the name of population control
She illegally occupies smaller nations in the name of liberation
Denounces religion while praying for money and more power
She savagely silences voices of freedom in the name of national interest
Develops the infrastructure of Tibet in order to militarily position herself better
She minimizes minority races by populating their regions with masses of Han people
Calls the Dalai Lama a wolf in sheep’s clothing while behaving like Lucifer in disguise
She entices foreigners to cheaply purchase goods made by tormented prisoners under duress
Subdues social networking in her own country while promoting social communism in the outside world
She professes to limit North Korea’s nuclear tests while surreptitiously feeding her nuclear intelligence
Blatantly does she permit the sale of cheap contaminated goods but when caught blames the manufacturers
She hacks the e-mails and websites of freedom seekers while calling for transparency in Western governments
Silent during the people’s revolution in the Middle East she praised the people only when they were victorious
She’s a devil in disguise!
Copyright: Tsoltim N. Shakabpa – 2011
====================================================
THIS LIFE
By Tsoltim N. Shakabpa
This life, this life
This changing life
Taking us on a journey
On the mercurial river of life
Gently and pleasantly at times
Lifting us to heavenly heights
Roughly and irascibly at other times
Smothering us in its waters
Passing through lush green fields of joy and glory
Ensnaring us in precipitous gorges of toil and trouble
Churning out lustrous successes to celebrate
And hurling fated failures to bemoan
Twisting and turning
The river dispenses healthy doses of euphoric feeling
Which make us jump for joy
Then injects painful fluids of sorry sickness
Which ensconce us on beds of virulent thorns
O what a life!
This journey on the river of life
That ineluctably ends in the ocean of death
Which envelopes us in its depth and vastness
And delivers us on the fertile shores of waiting wombs
To be reborn once more to ride the waves of the capricious river
Copyright: Tsoltim N. Shakabpa – 2011
===============================================================
WE CAN AND WE MUST
By Tsoltim N. Shakabpa
I have vanquished evil with good
And conquered cancer with prayers
I have found how an Apple changed the world
And experienced momentous changes in my life
I have read David killed Goliath
And sighted little ants subdue killer hornets
I have watched tiny seeds bloom into gorgeous flowers
And observed diminutive termites destroy mammoth houses
I have witnessed people power topple dreadful dictators
And noticed that everything is impermanent in this world
I have established that dreams can be realized if put into action
And heard a voice in the wilderness overcome racial discrimination
I have seen non-violent movements achieve independence for countries
And viewed a commando shoot down the world’s most feared terrorist
I have observed the moon reflect the sun’s rays to shed light upon the earth at night
And discovered how inquisitive tinkering in a garage led to life changing achievements in technology
So can Tibetans achieve freedom from China?
Yes we can and we must!
Copyright: Tsoltim N. Shakabpa – 2011
================================================================
DEVIL IN DISGUISE
By Tsoltim N. Shakabpa
She buys influence with money
Lies to paint a rosy picture of Tibet
She rules autocratically in the name of nationalism
Destroys human fetuses in the name of population control
She illegally occupies smaller nations in the name of liberation
Denounces religion while praying for money and more power
She savagely silences voices of freedom in the name of national interest
Develops the infrastructure of Tibet in order to militarily position herself better
She minimizes minority races by populating their regions with masses of Han people
Calls the Dalai Lama a wolf in sheep’s clothing while behaving like Lucifer in disguise
She entices foreigners to cheaply purchase goods made by tormented prisoners under duress
Subdues social networking in her own country while promoting social communism in the outside world
She professes to limit North Korea’s nuclear tests while surreptitiously feeding her nuclear intelligence
Blatantly does she permit the sale of cheap contaminated goods but when caught blames the manufacturers
She hacks the e-mails and websites of freedom seekers while calling for transparency in Western governments
Silent during the people’s revolution in the Middle East she praised the people only when they were victorious
She’s a devil in disguise!
Copyright: Tsoltim N. Shakabpa – 2011
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WORLD FESTIVAL OF POETRY
VIDEOCONFERENCE LINKING EVENT WITH L.A 100 TPC EVENT.
INTERNATIONAL DECLARATION FOR THE UNIVERSAL PEACE, in Isla MUjeres, POETIC SANCTUARY, signed by all the poets attending this WFP-IM 2011. (At the same time as 100 Poets for Change Stand Up for Tibet poetry reading and distribution in front of the Chinese Consulate in L.A. in solidarity with Global Action Day for Tibet on November 2nd)
October 19, 2011 – Free Tibet protest and candlelight vigil at the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles. 100 Thousand Poets for Change in solidarity.
http://bambuser.com/channel/100tpcfreetibet
100 THOUSAND POETS FOR CHANGE FREE TIBET – LIVE BROADCAST CHANNEL
http://bambuser.com/channel/100tpcfreetibet
NATURAL INSTINCT
By Tsoltim N. Shakabpa
Just as thunder
Follows a lightening
So do Tibetans scream
When savagely electrocuted
Just as the ground tremors
When the earth shifts
So too Tibetans shudder
When their life is agitated
Just as the snow melts
When the weather is hot
So do Tibetans vanish
When Chinese rule is scorching
Just as forests burn
When water is restricted
The priests of Tibet burn
When religious practices are prohibited
Just as the stomach wants to throw up
When disgusting food is eaten
So too Tibetans want to throw out
Disgusting authorities who illegally rule them
Just as oil and water
Don’t mix
So too populists and autocrats
Can’t mix
Just as the sun
Casts its light upon the moon
So does the Dalai Lama
Shed His light upon His people
Copyright: Tsoltim N. Shakabpa – 2011
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ABERRANT NATURAL INSTINCT
By Tsoltim N. Shakabpa
The merciless red hawk from the East
Swooped down on peaceful dove’s nest
With claws clenched
Killed all the dove’s harmless squabs
The dove moved to another nest
And bore more squabs
That grew up strong and sturdy
Compassionate and forgiving
The squabs, now grown, could have retaliated
And raided the now old red hawk’s nest
Killed the old hawk
And fatally injured all his new eyas
Instead
The doves gently perched on the nest of their enemies
Shared their food with them at the table of friendship
And won their hearts and apologies
Copyright: Tsoltim N. Shakabpa – 2011
~ Please take a few minutes and read ~Tashi Delek!
The Chinese government has s…entenced Tashi Rabten to a 4-year prison term, following a closed-door trial. His crime? Writing poetry and being the editor of a literary magazine known as “Shar Dungri” (Eastern Snow Mountain). Below are some poems by Tashi Rabten (pen name: Theurang) published in his book “Written in Blood,” translated from the Tibetan by Bhuchung D. Sonam.
1: My Tibet
Is it you, the flame that burns in the middle of a storm?
Is it you, the boat that rocks in the sea?
Is it also you, who offers the torch of life in the darkness of night?
Is it you, where there is no freedom?
Is it also you, who is chained and shackled?
Is it you, who writes history in blood?
Are you a warrior?
Where are your battlefield and the weapons?
Are you a prisoner?
What crimes have you committed?
Is it your sky that the sun shies away from?
Is it your vow to let yourself be silent?
Are these your border guards, the long guns surrounding you?
Freedom is different from restrictions
Because of which you move,
Because of which they tie and bind you, isn’t it?
Isn’t it you who is being murdered?
Isn’t it you who is being arrested?
Isn’t it you who is being tortured?
Why is it that you still want to move?
Do you want to move amidst shadows of guns?
No.
Isn’t it you who can never be cowed down?
Isn’t it you who fiercely burns with passion?
Isn’t it you who marches ahead into history?
Don’t you need to move even more?
Don’t you need to move till the time runs out and the life ends?
2: Lhasa-Gormo Railway
This is a road
A recently-completed road
A road that is well traveled
A road of rock mixed with steel, men with demons
A road connecting Beijing and Lhasa
Holy Lhasa is at one end of the road having old dreams
At the other end is Beijing, reading an incomplete plan of action
Between Lhasa and Beijing, this road
Runs like a tongue of a poisonous snake
On this road
The life-soul of Lhasa and its wealth
Is being transported, day and night
Nearby this road
Are terrified wild animals of Tibet
Running, running, dying, dying
This road, like the butcher’s knife,
Drills through the hearts of the mountains
This road, like an axe in the robber’s hand,
Cuts across the chest of Tibet’s grassland
On this road they come, the guests with greedy minds
On this road they run away with the hosts’ wealth
At the end of this road are the satisfied faces of the bosses in Beijing
At the other end are dusty faces of the people of Lhasa
In the night this road kills my quiet dreams and my sleep
In the daytime it murders my thoughts and drives me restless
Every so often this road boils my heart with anger
Suddenly I Remembered Lhasa
The sound and the vibration of the train
Suddenly shakes the computer
And the fingers do not have control over the words
At such times I suddenly, suddenly
At the end of the railway track
With a moving train
I remember Lhasa
The statues and butter lamps of Tsuglakhang
The golden roofs of the Potala Palace
Even the faces of the old women on the road
Flashes like the computer facing me
Anyone remembers them
With sounds of trains coming and going
Ah how remembering Lhasa suddenly
Is like remembering to get up
And shout out in freedom.
3: A Secret Petition to the Government Penned in a Computer
One dead body, ten dead bodies, one hundred dead bodies, one thousand dead bodies
One news, ten news, one hundred news, one thousand news
truth – 0, false – 9, truth – 20, false – 900
Red hands that take out the innards
If you are not on our side punish us
Black boots that crush heads
If you don’t understand then just imprison
freedom, harmony, equality, democracy
open the door, open the constitution and look inside
freedom? harmony? equality? democracy?
My government, if you suspect that your faces will burn with brightness
Accuse me of everything and punish me
Because I am your citizen,
Like a bird that flocks to the cliffs
I am a loyal citizen who will say ‘yes’ to everything you say.
4: Monologue In Hell
First
Today, if the radiant hands scratch the face of darkness
Tomorrow, will the world of dawn lift from amidst the darkness
Two
If a few ready-to-gallop horses
Went missing along with their saddles and reins
Is there any horse owner who is ready to point at the thief?
Three
If a well-planned wolf jumps onto the shepherd’s dog
The unarmed shepherd, of course, can loudly shout out everywhere
Four
Don’t lie when the ears are listening to the truth
When the able eyes are watching do not create disharmony
The people are watching you, even the natural world is sighing at you
Fifth
Even though I do not own the five physical senses
And the five meanings and six vessels are stolen
I permanently own the five pure visions of the senses
Sixth
Long live freedom, long live nationality
Long live truth, love live democracy
Long live the blood that runs in my veins
Long live! Long live!
5: Prisoner in Hell
Hell is a fortress made from iron and steel
A doorless fortress of shackles and handcuffs
Freedom-loving people are the prisoners of this fortress
Or they are criminals seeing the darkness of the hell
These people have fallen to the darkness of hell wanting to see freedom
They are the ones who blew vapour from their mouths outside the door
They are the ones who raised their fists up in the air
However, according to the decree from the hell
Each of them are considered criminals in prison shackled and handcuffed
The crime they are accused of is ‘love for freedom’
Mother says amongst the prisoners is
A very young kid brother of mine
The youngest prisoner in the world
If the crime that this kid has committed is not made
When he was piling stones to play with
Then this kid is truly an innocent kid
Freedom, equality, democracy, livelihood
One prisoner, two prisoners, three prisoners, four prisoners
Hell is really a hell
Freedom, equality, democracy, livelihood
Will there come a time when everyone will be free from the fortress of hell
6: News from Hell
Because of intense cold wind in hell
Those in hell experience disturbance in the temperature
Many in hell suffer from diseases
Yet, the news from hell is always fine and good
The news from hell is a newspaper
A newspaper that has lost the word ‘democracy’
A newspaper filled with secret numbers and —
Under the volatile weather of the hell
The hell’s news comes as a medical prescription to those who are suffering from cold
Prescription that charges money but gives no medicine
A prescription with stamp of approval from the authorities
News from the hell is contagious
That is transmitted through people’s mouths and ears
Those who suffer from this disease are servants in the hell
The hell is basically a sick person carrying his shit in his pants
Isn’t the newspaper in hell that paper which one uses to wipe one’s bottom?
RANGZEN BOY : Free all Tibetans political prisoners
Demand China respects human rights and no more suffering in Tibet!!
Free Tibet!!
INTERVIEW WITH WANGCHUK DEDEN SHAKABPA
http://wabcradio.com/FlashPlayer/default.asp?SPID=33447&ID=2320217
CHANGE WILL COME
By Tsoltim N. Shakabpa
What was dark
Will be bright
What was lost
Will be found
What was taken
Will be given
What was defeated
Will be won
What was shattered
Will be restored
What was plundered
Will be retrieved
What is China
Will be Tibet
What is sought
Will be found
What is maligned
Will be praised
What is silenced
Will be vocalized
What is autocracy
Will be democracy
What is dominated
Will be free
The devil’s disguise will be revealed
And his fate will forever be sealed
The dark clouds will drift away one day
And the bright sun will show us the way
The autocrats will all one day die and fade away
And democracy will reign in the world some day
Tibet will be free and independent once again
And the Dalai Lama will His rightful throne regain
Change will come
As will a new day
Change must come
As must rebirth
Copyright: Tsoltim N. Shakabpa – 2011
HALLOWEEN
By Tsoltim N. Shakabpa
Come the horrors of Halloween
You’ve got to dress up and be seen
With the threat of tricks
Comes many a kicks
These are the scariest of times
With the ringing of door chimes
Devil beware little angels are coming
Heros galore and little soldiers drumming
Children delight in dressing up
They even dress their little pup
Adults enjoy a good party
They think they look good and arty
You will be greeted
With tricks if not treated
All in all it’s a joyous opportune
Enjoyed in the light of the sunlit moon
Copyright: Tsoltim N. Shakabpa – 2011
Communi$t$ who are capitali$t$
Are pernicious closet hedonists
T.N.S.