The Distance Between

The mountains disappeared behind the clouds,

As I left my village far away.

Mother held my hand a little longer,

As if she knew I'd miss her every day.

Father stood there trying not to cry,

Saying, Go and build a better life.

But I still remember his trembling voice,

Hidden behind a smile that night.

Now I'm in Australia,

working through the rain,

Carrying heavy dreams and heavier pain.

Every dollar that I send back home,

Costs a piece of my heart when I'm alone.

And when my phone rings late at night,

I pray everyone is still alright.

Because the hardest thing I've ever known,

Is loving my family from

so far from home.

The city lights are bright,

but they don't warm me,

Not like the kitchen fire back home.

I eat my dinner sitting by myself,

In a room that never feels my own.

Mother says she's fine when we talk,

But her voice sounds weaker than before.

Father laughs and tells me not to worry,

Yet I hear the silence in between his words.

I missed birthdays, I missed Losar,

Missed family prayers and happy days.

I watched them all through a tiny screen,

While thousands of miles stood in the way.

Sometimes I wonder if it's worth the cost,

The years that I can never get back.

My parents are growing older each day,

While I'm chasing dreams on another path.

Now I'm in Australia,

staring at the moon,

Knowing the same moon shines on Bhutan too.

If I could trade every dollar I've made,

For one more evening beside my parents,

I'd do. So if you hear this song tonight,

Hold your mother and father tight.

Because nothing hurts more than being alone,

Missing the people

who made you home.

The mountains still wait where I belong,

The prayer flags still dance in the wind.

And every night before I sleep,

I whisper, I'll come home again.