LOVE LETTER LADAKH

have you ever been in between these wide valleys
of cold deserts shiny rocks sand dunes and blessings
in this dear pure land of high peaks and passes ladakh
have you ever been welcomed with such wide arms
by these most kind people who smile julley
to everyone from all sides under majestic glaciers
and offer masala chai and khambir in homestays
salty butter tibetan tea tsampa and dry yak cheese
in remote monasteries high up on the mountains
here where the highest peaks are pink at sunrise
and often simply disappear underneath the clouds
here where you can walk right below the sky
and play in the shadows of all puffy clouds
here where the ladakhi’s wool majestic dresses
carry centuries of history inside their huge pockets
and monks and nuns wear orange pointy hats like flowers

have you ever walked around the stupas
in this massive feast of lands of stupas
made of clay and filled with wishes
for complete world peace and harmony
stupas that symbolize enlightened minds
minds that all of us can develop at the highest peak 

here where you can retreat up in the hills
and think that your eyes belong to everyone
so you see and enjoy for everyone
all these wide fresh sublime spaces
and let them pervade you on the inside
here where mountains of rocks shine in the sun
and you find your childhood dream rocks
here in the land of rock carving statues
moonlands and snow leopard territories
here where yaks with long fur coats eat grass
and himalayan marmots play in the valleys
here in this land of dry air and so little oxygen
where the nose becomes ladakh nose
and the lungs don’t know what to do
in this land of breathlessness

here you have so much space
to think about what really matters
and how to take care of your mind and heart
to not let them become weak and tight
but spacious wise and bright
here you can find your favourite stupa
and wish to hang tibetan flags everywhere
to inspire everyone to grow warm hearts
here you make hearts with your body
and from here send love to everyone 

here in this land of high scary steep roads you can stay present
and you can detach a little bit from what keeps you unhappy
from the restlessness distress that lies in the background
here you can relax into who you really are
and your armpits can smell like saffron icecream
here you can become open simple and sincere
and wake up in the middle of the night to take the moths out
and develop compassion for them and wish them
to not hit the walls again and never ever suffer again

here you can think of change impermanence and death
when you see the valleys that seem to stay still forever
but drills and dynamite blast rocks to make new roads
to slowly unremote the most remote places
and where the street signs warn you of stone shootings
and where massive rocks block the roads
and you find ibex and yak horns on hikes
animals teeth broken skulls and others bones
and once in a while can smell the smell of rotten flesh
but you can use them all as tools in your mind 
so you stay present alive 

here you can also think deeply about your friends
who wish to be poets
but cannot see that they are already poets
speaking love poems in perfect verses 
and who swim in unknown and anxiety
but have infinite skills and vast possibilities in front of them
and who want to love and be loved
but cannot see that they have such huge hearts
and are love loved and loving in human form 

here you can constantly abide in the best wish ever
which is to not bring any more conflicts to this world
and instead to only contribute to the world peace 
and grow this wish huge in all directions for everyone 

here you can start to be open to many views
and turn your mind around and transform it
so it becomes so wide so it can contain many
many worldviews and be free of tightly holding on
on fixed idea or on anything

here you can see your mind much clearly
and develop the wish to grow it wide and far
to encompass the entire existence
and hold it dear at all times

o you most dear ladakh
you are such a vast shiny jewel