Vacation

Where black-necked cranes come to chat with me In the company of wine and deep brown honey Flowing from apple twigs in the heavenly valley Of Bumthang , carved into the sublime Himalayas By glacial melt and monsoon rains in collaboration Giving rise to lovely landscapes offering relaxation In Buddha’s silence, there lies my dream destination To fill some vacuum in a week of my next vacation In the north east of the Indian subcontinent where Beautiful girls and Buddhist monks are very sincere (Bum refers to girls and thang a flat piece of land) Everywhere you will see Buddha’s lifted hand In consonance with the land an ever demure voice Of Buddhism says: go to the mystic blue and rejoice Along the murmur of icy rivers and lakes everywhere Pink rhododendrons exude fragrance in the fresh air Flowers red, yellow, pink, white, lilac, green and blue For our sore minds and thirsty psyche all these hues In the shades of Pine and Oak monasteries as a nest The imposing peaks descend here to take a little rest Four charming valleys, Tang, Ura, Choekhor, Chumey Will greet us in a smile on our trip to Bumthang valley Morning is wakened here by blue-capped rock thrush Beside the flapping flags the gurgling streamlets gush Where Gross National Happiness instead of GDP Determines economic progress of the society Come, dear friend, to join me in the amazing journey From the chains of self to a deep sense of infinity _________________________________________________ February 13, 2016