Image: SFT Canada/Edited @tibettruth

Sheng Xue a respected and renowned activist for human rights and freedom presented recently a poem she composed titled ‘Light Me Up’ dedicated to those brave Tibetans who sacrifice their lives to demand national freedom for Tibet.

I opened my eyes in the morning
The room is dark.
I opened the window to welcome the gentle wind
The sky is dark.
I opened the door to greet the wild wood
The mountain is dark.
My heart opens to embrace freedom,
in a world dark and hard.

I didn’t want much,
to hope the yak in the mountains can freely run.
That the eagle can crown the turqoise sky,
to hear the monks chanting in the temple.
I just want to see His Holiness at least once in my life time.
I keep them as dreams in my heart, I don’t dare to ask.

But there is no light,
the darkness expands.
Filling all the space
and tearing at the sun’s rays.
Suffocating each and every breath,
it builds up and strives to quell my hopeful heart.

I want to run, run, and run.
but the temple demolished, broken, shattered.
The debris like the bodies of history piled upon a bloody hill
Each step along the road to Lhasa under the shadow of the gun,
streets full of tanks and check-points.

Where can I hide
What should I try
Who will listen to my cry
And how can I die

I can no longer remember,
what does light look like?
I can no longer remember,
the healing touch of sunshine.
I can no longer remember
the feeling of a sweet night,
nor recall the five noble colors of prayer flags.
I saw a dim light in a death cup
I should light myself up

Light me up
Light me up
Light me up

I’d rather die for my ideals
If I cannot live with my beliefs
light it up with a style,
light it up for a life more real.

The light grows more intense,
blinding brightness the flames
reach to the sky.
The Himalaya became a prayer
and forever I left the fear.
Light me up,
the sounds of flames singing with the wind.
Light me up,
the excited fire dancing like the sea’s wave.

The burning ocean consumes,
kiss me, touch me.
Hold me like a baby
once, once and once again.
I must return
I have to come back with the light
Light for freedom, religion, dignity, culture, language and human rights.

Light me up
Light the mountain up
Light the river up
Light the sky up
Let the flame burned up the darkness

Light the sun up
Let it shine
Let it blaze for all lives
Let it’s luminous rays dispel the shadows in Tibet
Shining Tibet shining bright!