Dian Duchin Reed

Lhasa

In this high altitude, bicycles make sense: cycling is easier on the lungs than walking, plus they take you further faster. Everywhere I go, yak butter abounds. At the outdoor market, large golden slabs of it wait to be sliced. At the local eatery, it softens strong, sweetened black tea. I bicycle from temple to temple, and in every temple lamps fueled by yak butter waft prayers upward. The sweet and smoky odor saturates my jacket, which becomes my favorite souvenir after I return home. Wearing it, I am suddenly surrounded by rocky cliffs and mountains…

summer sky
blue as forget-me-nots. . .
prayer flags flutter

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About the Author

Dian Duchin Reed is an award-winning writer whose poems, articles, essays, and photographs have appeared in many publications. Her books include Medusa Discovers Styling Gel (poetry) and Dao De Jing: Laozi’s Timeless Wisdom (translated from the Chinese). Learn more at dianduchinreed.com.