Hillol Ray

NGAWANG CHOEPHEL
The Epitome of Human Tragedy

The amount of genuine love, given or taken in life,
Flows like the river-
And enchants the receiver in so many ways,
To cause tremble or shiver!
Birth on this crowded planet surrounds the joy
To cloak the beloved’s mind-
Irrespective of wealth, or material things,
The ‘depth of love’ put us in bind!

Mother’s hope followed by the dream
Does not stop with the birth of the kid-
Rather, it glows always like candle
To light up the darkness, in times of need!
By weaving the threads of joy via sacrifice,
Mother awaits light at the end of the tunnel-
And welcomes the growth of the kid
By pouring her energies into the wide-open funnel!

The trauma faced by an innocent kid
Incessantly breaks the hapless mother’s heart-
While her silent prayers land on the ‘deaf ears’
And her ‘own world’ may fall apart!
The exploration of a mother’s dream, at times,
May bounce off the wall of a prison cell-
And the pleadings for the release of her only son
Become the ‘saga’ of an inhuman tale!

A scholar and a musician, Ngawang Choephel,
Is in Chengdu Prison and suffering the chest pain-
While his mother, Sonam Dekyi, has tried the best,
But her concerted efforts have drained in vain!
Ngawang’s “frail body” with ‘mere skin and bones’
Is still facing tortures by the prison guards in charge-
And her mother’s “dharna” at Jantar Mantar for past five years
Gets overlooked by the Authority at large!

A musician at heart, Ngawang’s visit to his birthplace
Brought the charges of ‘espionage’ against his try-
Followed by his imprisonment of eighteen years,
With silent brutalities that should cause our eyes to dry!
Insufficient attention to his medical needs now is taking the tolls,
And no one seems to hear-
While his quivering voice, recognized by mother,
Echoes in the prison walls to shed the tear!

The calligraphy of winds around “Chengdu Prison”
Blows away the despair over an ancient land-
Inhabited by the “peace-loving” Tibetans whose freedom of speech
And religion has been banned!
The agony of Ngawang Choephel mirrors the epitome of human tragedy
And is unacceptable in the new millennium dawn-
So I pray for his release now and relief of his mother
Whose son is being used in our ‘civilized’ world as the only pawn!!!!

©Copyright September 19, 2000 by Hillol Ray