Peace Luck Poem by Kimberly Burnham

Lucky am I to be born in a land of peace
or "akyat lyah-ka gek" as say the Lepcha
also called the Rongkup
"children of God"
and the Rong or Mútuncí Róngkup Rumkup
"beloved children of the Róng and of God"
and Rongpa or Sikkimese

Indigenous peoples of Sikkim
50,000 people born in Western and southwestern Bhutan
Tibet, Darjeeling, the Mechi Zone of eastern Nepal
and in the hills of West Bengal

Lucky when a child is born in a land of peace
"akyat" peace in Lepacha
or gzhi-bde in Dzongkha spoken in Bhutan
similarly zhi ba or zhi-bde in Tibetan

We all wish for a "kye-mo"
a peace-maker in Lepcha
one who separates persons fighting
making it possible for children to be born
in a land of peace where people
"Tun" to agree to be at peace