Leh

In the land where the Garuda patrols the sky

And Indus snake-like winds its swift course

From the monastery the lungta quickly fly

Bearing the mani prayers in the ten directions

The gompa stands quiet atop its lofty perch

Dreaming of young monks and eager discourse

An ancient building lost in eternal meditation

The river caresses the valley with attachment’s coil

And the simple folk listen to pujas as they toil

The whisper of the flags, the call of the deep horns

Age old rituals mark the tenor of their lives

Karma plays out with each action and reaction

Cause and effect like the mighty river flows

Bearing endless future lives wherever it goes

Here where the Himalaya shoulder the brooding skies

Pieces from the kaleidoscope of your spiritual search

Spin and turn and then delicately fall in place

Fleetingly your soul feels and fuses with eternity.

The River of Ladakh

Turquoise and silver under a cobalt sky

The Indus rushes through the valleys of Ladakh

The sweeping curves and stately meander belie

Her urgency as the swift-flowing waters

Tumble head over heels from the roof of the world

The barren, brooding winter mountains wait

In silent contemplation holding aloft the sky

Shades of sepia broken only by the turquoise mirror

A marvellous moonscape unfolds before the eye

This stark, austere, majestic and mystical land

Frozen water carrying the snow’s icy tears

Swell the silver ribbon snaking towards the plains

Storm clouds gather above the mighty Himalaya

The Indus sees the angry sky and feels fear

Speeding on her journey she flees the falling rains