Born in Lhasa, Tibet in 1943 and educated in Tibet, India and the United States, Tsoltim Ngima Shakabpa, known popularly as T.N., served the Tibetan Government-in-Exile as a Managing Director of the Tibetan Industrial Rehabilitation Society, a semi-Tibetan government agency, and successfully resettled 7,000 Tibetan refugees in small scale industrial projects in Himachal Pradesh in India. Later, he established an outstanding career as a senior American international banker and was also Chairman and President of an investment bank in Texas until he was struck with a heart-wrenching stomach cancer, followed by a debilitating stroke in 1999. Not one to succumb to such crushing setbacks, T.N. became the President of the Tibetan Association of Washington and founded the festival TIBETFEST, which to this day is one of Seattle Citys most outstanding annual festivals attracting over 100, 000 people. He has sixth book, is mostly about his motherland, Tibet, and about his love of nature and other captivating subjects and is a prolific and sensitive poet who write genuinely from the heart. He began writing poetry in English in 1967 and is one of the first Tibetans, if not the first, to write poetry in English. T.N. has received many awards, among which were a CERTIFICATE OF APPRECIATION in 2002 from the Office of Tibet in New York for His Service to the Tibetan Community in the State of Washington, THE EDITORS CHOICE AWARD in 2005 from the International Library of Poetry for Outstanding Achievement in Poetry, and the MOST DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD in 2007 from the prestigious school, St. Josephs School, North Point, in Darjeeling (India) for His Achievements and Service to His Community. Further, T.N. was featured in the book, THE BEST POETS AND POEMS OF 2003, and in the book, THE INTERNATIONAL WHOS WHO IN POETRY, published in 2004. T.N. is the Executive Director of TSEPON WANGCHUK DEDEN SHAKABPA MEMORIAL FOUNDATION, a non-profit organization established in memory of his late father, who was a world-renowned Tibetan historian, educator, statesman, freedom fighter and former Finance Minister of independent Tibet. T.N. has two grown children, Wangchuk and Pema, who have established successful careers and continue to follow in their family's legacy of fighting for Tibet's freedom. He lives with his supportive wife, Vilma, in California.

Born in Lhasa, Tibet in 1943 and educated in Tibet, India and the United States, Tsoltim Ngima Shakabpa, known popularly as T.N., served the Tibetan Government-in-Exile as a Managing Director of the Tibetan Industrial Rehabilitation Society, a semi-Tibetan government agency, and successfully resettled 7,000 Tibetan refugees in small scale industrial projects in Himachal Pradesh in India. Later, he established an outstanding career as a senior American international banker and was also Chairman and President of an investment bank in Texas until he was struck with a heart-wrenching stomach cancer, Followed by a debilitating stroke in 1999.

Not one to succumb to such crushing setbacks, T.N. became the President of the Tibetan Association of Washington and founded the festival TIBETFEST, which to this day is one of Seattle Citys most outstanding annual festivals attracting over 100, 000 people. He has sixth book, is mostly about his motherland, Tibet, and about his love of nature and other captivating subjects and is a prolific and sensitive poet who write genuinely from the heart. He began writing poetry in English in 1967 and is one of the first Tibetans, if not the first, to write poetry in English.

T.N. has received many awards, among which were a CERTIFICATE OF APPRECIATION in 2002 from the Office of Tibet in New York for His Service to the Tibetan Community in the State of Washington, THE EDITORS CHOICE AWARD in 2005 from the International Library of Poetry for Outstanding Achievement in Poetry, and the MOST DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD in 2007 from the prestigious school, St. Josephs School, North Point, in Darjeeling (India) for His Achievements and Service to His Community.

Further, T.N. was featured in the book, THE BEST POETS AND POEMS OF 2003, and in the book, THE INTERNATIONAL WHOS WHO IN POETRY, published in 2004.

T.N. is the Executive Director of TSEPON WANGCHUK DEDEN SHAKABPA MEMORIAL FOUNDATION, a non-profit organization established in memory of his late father, who was a world-renowned Tibetan historian, educator, statesman, freedom fighter and former Finance Minister of independent Tibet.

T.N. has two grown children, Wangchuk and Pema, who have established successful careers and continue to follow in their familys legacy of fighting for Tibets freedom. He lives with his supportive wife, Vilma, in California.

Foreword xi
The Question of Autonomy For Tibet xv
Torn Between Two Countries 1
Buddhist Philosophy 2
Karmic Forces 3
The Nun 5
American Soldiers 6
Old Age 7
Imprisoned 9
Time Is Ripe 10
Freedom 11
Nirvana 12
I See A Light 13
At The Risk Of Life 14
Tibetan Speak 15
Yes, I Can! 16
Life 17
The Pearl Of Tibet 18
The Rain 19
Forgive Them, O Lord 21
I See 22
To My Countrymen Of Tibet 23
Lifes Meaning Lost 24
Precious Jewel 25
River of Life 26
Colorful Lies 27
Freedom Slogan 28
Forever Indebted 29
Free As A Poem 30
A Dictum For A Victim 31
The Freedom Train 32
My Tibet, My Tibet 33
The Smoke 34
Animal Talk 35
Haiku 36
An Ants Life 37
The Iron Horse 38
The If In Life 39
Life And Death 40
Sad World 41
The Coming Of The Red Hawk 42
Wedding Wishes 43
Recollections 44
Zero 45
Made In China 46
The Freedom Train 47
The Case You Forgot 48
Sitting In A Chinese Prison 52
Quotable Quotes 54
Chinas Agony 56
A Plea To Save The Chinese 57
A Relative Question 58
A Simple Monk 59
Upside Of Downside 60
Haiku - 2 61
Red China 62
Tibetan Burden 63
Create Something Out of Nothing 65
Telling The Truth 66
Master Chef 67
Cuddles, My Precious Partner 68
The Soul Of Tibet 70
Food For Thought 71
Be Servant 73
Criticisms 74
Illness 75
My Wife 76
Time 77
Quotable Quotes - 2 78
Om Mani Padme Hum 79
Sympathy 80
Beatitudes Of Platitude & Multitudes of Gratitude 82
Vision Of Death 83
An Angel In My Life 85
The Cigarette Smoke Or The Politics Of China 86
The Red Volture 87
Just You And Me 88
The Weinrebs A Life In Color 89
A Stroke Victims Ambition 90
Clock On A Wall 91
The Old Man And Chenrezig 92
Belly Of The Beast 93
Dual Functions 94
Just A Poet Am I 96
Lost Tibet 97
The Eyes of Tibet 99
Girl Next Door 100
Dead People Running 102
Nature 103
The Dark And Long Night 105
Fr. G. Van Walleghem, S.J 105
My Family 106
I Pray 107
I Feel Hopeful 108
What Hath Communist China Wrought? 111
PEMA: My Daughter, My Lotus Flower 113
Eye On Tibet 115
An Apple, Not An Orange 116
Dead People Talking 117
Epilogue 118