Day One

1


the wind mistaken for the rain
down to the smell
of strange light on rooftops

as if the world’s brightness
were turned up

beginning of the world a storm
no thing to know then
no one to know

a wrinkled folk
squinting with
storm in the cloud sea

from which the world churned
clouds like milk
world butter below

a king thereafter cord descending
rights divine assumed

or there is this other cast
a monkey and these breasts misshapen
vulva from which tribes are sprung

the monkey was Chenrezig
from his compassion
all descended into human form

*

landing here
already an hour of the day absented

all the way from the airport
hands held out
mushrooms offered
red flags
show happy peasants home

selling the season
shells of homes
the hills alive with nomad tribes

and later with the hour retrieved
the same or subtly changed

showtime
then the wheel begins

a turn around the Barkhor
filthy without touching a thing

breathless just turning in the bath
just standing, drinking water
breathless just breathing

*

sky of nights never come

monks on mobiles
circle the Jokhang

Samsara then – the suffering sea
because the world was wished to be

slow into the mountains, stumble
hungering for breath

you can’t expect enlightenment on the first day

lose an hour
but the clock takes us in
top of the world smells of shit

I frame the advertisement
it says
‘Come to Tibet! Feel twenty years older!
Climbing stairs here is like climbing a ladder!
Feel like a mountain climber! Come to Tibet!’