a final glance
through rain-splattered screen
my ancestral home
so much left behind
so much carried with me
Atlas Poetica, 9, Summer 2011
Sonam Chhoki
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
透過濺雨的屏窗
最後一瞥
我的祖居
留下了這麼多東西
並帶走這麼多東西
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
透过溅雨的屏窗
最后一瞥
我的祖居
留下了这么多东西
并带走这么多东西
Bio Sketch
Sonam Chhoki finds the Japanese short form poetry resonates with her Tibetan Buddhist upbringing. She is inspired by her father, Sonam Gyamtsho, the architect of Bhutan's non-monastic modern education and by her mother, Chhoden Jangmu, who taught her: “Being a girl doesn’t mean you can’t do anything.” She is the principal editor, and co-editor of haibun for the United Haiku and Tanka Society journal, cattails.
The visually evocative and symbolically rich prefatory image greatly enhances the emotional focus of the closing statement, which is made in a poignant, dialectical way. And the use of repetition is thematically and emotionally effective, sparking readers to ponder what's left unsaid.
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