AucklandPoetry.com presents Poet Resident JAN OSKAR HANSEN on http://OSKAR.AUCKLANDPOETRY.COM

Monday, October 08, 2007

Shangri La

Shangri La.

Tibet used to be a quaint place, full of monks and
poor people who didn’t often washed their faces.
Intrepid westerners liked the place, thought it was
a Paradise, even though no one stayed too long.
Then the Chinese came and, as occupiers often,
do destroyed works of art, the Lama, and his staff,
fled to India. Today modernity has arrived, there is
less poverty, roads have been built and it has been
said that there are dancehalls and painted ladies in
Lhasa. Life is better now chiefly for the poor, yet
people would, it’s been said, endure the hardship
of freedom and yak butter in their morning tea for
a taste of independence. The intrepid would be back
and write books about this authentic Shangri La.

No comments: