The Manacled man's itinerary

Tiny termites are born to destruct the timber
And rust will destroy the iron.
Precious gold is everlasting,
But the shine will bring thieves more closely.
Beauty is a gift,
And you have to protect from the evil.
Life is a road. [It's not silky anyhow]
The roadway full of road works ahead.
If this polite man is roadworthy somehow?
Then he goes to a certain extent,
Perhaps the frustration of sinister
He stops for a while on the way
And there is no more hearsay of the traveller.

Nimal Dunuhinga

The Dalada Maligawa tusker

Richly attired in the fashion of a king
And loaded with multi-coloured electric jets,
you majestically parade
In Kandy's much awaited annual feast,
The renowned Kandy Esala Perahera
Steeped in history and legend.
Year in and year out
You regally march
In this hallowed pageant
Known throughout the world
As a unique religio-cultural event.
It's so gracious
To see you, a lord of the jungle,
With a sea of human heads mingle,
To make the Kandy Esala Perahera
An event so gorgeous and serene.
Uncrowned monarch of the jungle scene,
It's indeed a pleasure to see
Your regular presence in this Perahera,
Surrounded by bright torches, supple dancers,
Dexterous drummers and loud trumpets.
You are certainly a pride
In this parade bright,
And being the elephant of Maligawa fame
You've etch an indelible name
In the golden annals
Of Sri Lanka's rich heritage.

Andrew Scott

The Devil Bird

Deep in the hinterland
lived the devil bird
Shunned by humans
Because it is ugly
And a vision of the bird would portend
Tragedy and death
Its clumsy body weakened by vicious myth
It saw a naked boy child, an infant abandoned
At once its hunger vanished
Its weak body straightened
Its wings spread to cover
The child's frigid nakedness
Its own sounds of joy
Raucous and ugly
Resonating its pathetic braying
They hit with sticks and stones
The bird stood relentless, lifeless and dead
Only then did the people
See that the stones they had used
To kill the bird, had killed their own kind

Ruwantissa Abeyratne

Eclipse now

It is a strange drum beat
To I sway
Seeking a child's solace
Cuddled in a mother's bosom
Pursue pre-historic explorers instincts
Mesmerized by
The magical rhythm
Of chill of passion
Reaches its crescendo
As tempting nocturnal angels
Dramatize a fine performance
Perfected as an ode to God of Eros
Depicting subtle beauty of
Their lithe bodies
Propagating the prophesy of viles
Blithely show me the pathway
To irresistible temptation

Ranjan Amarasinghe

Sober reflections

While lotus flowers waning in morass
blossoming rose flowers are in so morose
moon halo shaded by drops of tears
hearts of innocents pierced in gruesome

Grooming youths are enmeshed in storms
joy and holiness drained in trenches
relish and finesse are gloomy in holocaust
grandeur of delusion befalls of our dreams

Curses and bruises run across toiled brains
berserks and madding wriggle through piousness
bereavements plunge into bottoms of our hearts
ranting and raving rake up the reeks

Braves of both fronts sacrificed their days
for the sake of giving us days of peace
shedding of blood stains flows on streams
lagging of loggerheads so shake our souls

Grabbing and gripping of a piece of a land
no way to track along the path of primrose
dangling swords are hanging on our heads
flames of retribution break-off axioms

Sycophants garland hyenas with hyacinth
hand writing of the wall is not read
political bickering rumples inner voices
reverberate everyday the folliness of past

Celebrity of lives is cracking in traumatic
all look renegades of the universal humanity
severance of unity razing the equality
fanatical cankers gobbling up divinity

Tamil and Sinhalese gods in Kataragama
minds with wearisome look upon patiently
during the seasonal esalapura pageantry
mould the chauvinisms in lines of unity.

Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe

Say 'no' to War

We all are sons and daughters
of mother Lanka
We all have same blood
We all are brothers and sisters
who are united.....

Why do we fight with each other?
We do not need WAR
Why do we try to defeat others?
We do not need superiority feelings

We must dismiss cannon balls
which are brutal
We must get rid of WAR
which is "in-human"

Tharindu Weerasinghe

Prison of work

In a prison of work
Work, work, work,
Work all the time.
Oh! never ending work.
Burned with worries,
Rounded by work files,
Never ending thoughts on work.
Papers all over disorganised,
Disorganised to be organised.
Organised to be organised,
But never will I be organised
until the day of my death.
Oh no! I am in hell!
With work!
Think, when to cease that work!
Oh God!
Help me to overcome this work,
and find solace of peace.

Namel Weeramuni

Love

I asked you one day
Whether you love me
You replied me with a smile
"Yes I do..."

Has that love
Come to an end now?
After a decade or two
You wished to stop
The journey halfway
Without seeing the destination
You felt tired?
You felt bored?
You felt disgusted?

I asked you now
Whether you still love me
You answer me with the same smile
"Yes I do love you forever and ever..."

Buddhadasa Galappatty

Cleopatra

Cleopatra, you are a charming deceiving sweet poisonous rose,
Lovers were numberless, thus Caesar you betrayed.
Every lover to you, was only a cheap toy, a momentary pleasure,
Only leaving you, with a sweet empty treasure.
People thought, you were a powerful Egyptian Warriar,
And entrusted you the beautiful country for ever
Trusted you to bowl, every rough war barrier
Riches, power, beauty and fame had you forever
Alas, your death was from a venomous viper.

N.C.K.V. Aluvihare