Ah! my friends, but such mountains
Places where Gebgaia fountains
Up as lovely visions playing
With the people there displaying
All their wealth as offerings
For the blessings all this brings
Now demolished, ripped apart
By the military's art
As if the horrors bred by war
Weren't somehow somewhere somewhat more
Then what we're not allowed to see
In the news shows on TV

Let me tell you of those caves
They were first by Shiva made
For His contemplations of
Great renown and earthly love
As ascetic god who led
Others to these caves and said
Live here, love here
Be contented
With your souls tightly cemented
To my own, here, through the earth
In these caves of solemn worth
Which no longer praise the skies
Because they have been pulverized

History is good to some
But for others it's just dumb
As the Kali Yug progresses
To like Kali eat successes
So it happened that the holy
Sages left their caves when wholly
Stupid men appeared and then
Killed them as they sat with ken
Of cosmic places in their seeing
Crowning their own human being
So then bandits took the caves
Lawless men and runoff slaves
Made them into hideouts where
Men with books and swords appeared
Took them over, made a fortress
So they might better suppress
Those who chose the ancient way
That blasphemed their wicked day

Would you like to hear the names
Of those caves, now in flames
In great mountains over there
Sacred places in despair
On the other side of earth
Underfoot
For what it's worth?
The names were given so the flames
Kindled there could then be tamed
Freeing all who 'neath our star
Gaze with eyes fixed on a far
Vision breathing nectar and
With the earth would hope to blend
Into us but now are just
Dust to dust
In God we Trust
Even though His sacred places
Now are gone
Leaving no traces
But the names our ancient kin
Gave to them to honor Him
And Her who as Gaia shone
Resplendent as their sacred home
Named to show just how they glow
As their age's aftergolw
Cave of Enlightenment
Banner of Sky
Crystal Bamboo Tree
For charming the eye
Sun Castle of Joy
Lonely Cuckoo
Lion and Tiger
Both of whom woo
At Sky of Peaks
On ancient sod's
Elephant Gate of Serpent Gods
And Silk Cave of Goat Mountain where
The Cave of the Goddess
Flamed to flare
Up as her in silken bodice
And the sweet tit
That had got us
To the Tongue of the Dri in Drin
And the Wrathful Vajra King
Shining from the Cave of Firm Root…
But who really gives a hoot
Pulverized patter is all that remains
Leave with a tear
And whisper their names