Kundun, a Movie About the Dalai Lama

What struck me is that it showed him Always leaving And sadly looking back At his family home Going to Llasa To be (re)educated Tenzin Gyatso was found as a young child Went through many tests to prove That he was the 13th Dalai Lama Reincarnated He passed the tests “That cup is mine” “These prayer beads are mine” “There is where I kept my (false) teeth” His family was allowed to follow And were set up in a new household Where Tenzin was allowed to visit Merely visit He lived at the palace Away from his mother He had to learn Duties of state As he matured, He had to leave His childhood And take his title At age 15 To deal with the Chinese Who forced him To leave his country His people, although some followed The last scene shows him Standing in his new room Near the Indian Tibetan border Looking back through his telescope I then watched JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR; then went to bed And woke up sad; remembering: Jesus was always leaving Although I think He looked forward He must have looked back At His family At His town At His new found friends At His enemies Each time, although some followed Until He was forced to leave Life Why was I sad? I grew up the youngest in my family It seems everyone was always leaving Me Some looking back; others not As I grew older I left, too And rarely looked back Life seems full of leavings Friends and family Go to live elsewhere Or die to play in heaven without me You ask what Day I would like to relive I say None I think of the play OUR TOWN Where the newly deceased protagonist Is given a day to relive With advice to pick an ‘ordinary day’ And even then, She found it painful Looking back on memories is enough The mind tends to play tricks And nothing is as it seemed (Check family stories The ‘truth’ varies from person to person) Reliving a day past Might be disappointing Or not But different Reliving anything would be impossible The Dalai Lama looked back at his beloved country Changing even as he looked I don’t think he can ever go back; since there is No longer a ‘back’ I never met the Dalai Lama In any lifetimes, I think But I do remember Jesus I watched Him leave many times Sometimes I followed But that last time He went where I couldn’t follow And I couldn’t keep Him here So when you ask me what day I would like to relive I say none How many goodbyes is one Expected to survive?