sky burial
of our first born
on a green-black dawn
how the gods tongue my grief
with thunder, with lightning
Eucalypt, 17, 2014
Sonam Chhoki
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
在綠黑黎明中
為我們頭生的孩子
舉行天葬儀式
眾神如何用雷聲，閃電
狂舔我的悲傷
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
在绿黑黎明中
为我们头生的孩子
举行天葬仪式
众神如何用雷声，闪电
狂舔我的悲伤
Bio Sketch
Born
and raised in the eastern Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, Sonam Chhoki has
been writing Japanese short forms of haiku, tanka and haibun for about 7
years. These forms resonate with her Tibetan Buddhist upbringing and
provide the perfect medium for the exploration of her country's rich
ritual, social and cultural heritage. She is inspired by her father,
Sonam Gyamtsho, the architect of Bhutan's non-monastic modern education.
Her haiku, tanka and haibun have been published in poetry journals and
anthologies in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Japan, UK and US.
The upper verse establishes the religiously significant theme and the "green-black " dawn works well at least on three levels, literal, symbolic, and psychological. And in the lower verse, the sensually concrete verb, tongue ("lick or caress" with the tongue), forms an emotionally dialectical relationship between gods and the speaker.
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