Once bitten, twice shy

See the kitten on the wall,
Playing with a squirrel small,
Blinking eyes and bushy tail,
Hopping with steps that never fail.
White kitten with padded paws,
Trying to attack without a pause,
Places changed swiftly around,
Till kitten is on the ground.
Undaunted it's up again,
To carry on the same game,
Till the squirrel's tail is trapped,
Between two soft paws enwraped,
A sharp squeak it frees itself,
And rushes off to hide itself,
Once bitten, twice shy, its cry.

Sr. Mary Bernard R.G.S.

The insomniac

'Tis evening and his duty done,
The sun sinks in the west,
Just like the glorious morning,
Colourful at its best.
Faintly winking in the blue,
Are the stars that will twinkle soon,
O'er Adam's peak arising,
The callow sickle moon.
Bathing all the earth around,
With it's pure silvery light.
And lightening light hues,
And deepening dark shades.
The midnight's full of whispering,
Though stillness is abounds,
I feel the unseen nimble forms,
Gliding all around.
Yes, unseen I feel their presence,
What or who are they?
Could they be the spirits of the dead,
That in yon' grave yard lay?
Sombre clouds engulf the moon,
That's now three ways to the west,
The night is old and the east with gold,
Will guild the looming crest.
The cold wind rustles in the trees,
And loneliness encases me,
The boughs they cry their dewy tears,
And a chill slides over me.
The sleeping world now arises,
There are welcome morning sounds,
The night it meekly slinks away,
Causing patterns on the ground.
I shall ramble back to my bed,
Though to lie there sleepless and still,
And envy the lucky healthy beings,
That flash past my window still.
Sleep thou blessed sleep,
Why do you evade me,
Night after night awake I keep,
When will you console me.

George Eddie

Ignited minds

Evergreen mountains and golden beaches
Meandering rivers and eternal waterfalls
Roaming wildlife to the sounds of the forests
Singing and dancing birds to the whispering rhythms of nature

Oh! Wonder of Mother Lanka!
This is the land of ours, Sri Lanka!
We salute and pray for thy glory to stay as one!

Ignited are our minds to seek the truth
Working hard to enjoy the fruits of
peace, unity and harmony
following our religions true to the spirit yet
Holding high all religions with respect

Reaping the harvests of unity in diversity
United we stand strong
Divided we crumble and fall
Awake and arise as we Sri Lankans
Making our home of Sri Lanka prospering with one heart and soul.

K.A.S. Hyder Ali

Prophecy

Eat now, today, while we can yet bake the bread
and the harvest is rich;
drink now, while the rivers sing their mountain songs
as they course the land;
for there will come the day
when the dust will spread its dark cloak
and darken the air, and the land will be withered
as the blight-cloud rises;
when the hills will putrefy and the mountains
bare their bosoms to the scorching...
Then will ruin fall upon the cities
and the towns will shrink;
and no more will the tender leaves burst forth
and eyes will close in the glassy clasp of death.
On each tree will hang the reeking families of man -
father, son and grandson;
mother, daughter and granddaughter;
and the dogs will lick the death-sweat
from their tired feet.
Then will the great trembling begin
as the lands sway and the seas froth
and the womb belches its havoc
of undigested eras; brings forth its vaginal fire
to cauterise the valleys, steam-bowl the lakes;
so eat, eat and drink, drink for this your time
is still your time to eat and drink
and dance and smile and kill your neighbour
and call yourselves the lords of all;
but there will come the day of searing dust
and death and darkness and your highways
will be ways of rolling fire
and sun and sea will come to dine.
Yes, eat now, while there is rice and bread,
drink now, while the waters baptise you;
the day will come, it surely comes
and the dust will spread its shroud
and the clouds will buffet your tall towers
and the mountains will yawn.
No need will there be to count the hours,
when all is meaningless; when the great makara
uncoils, holds the moon in its maw;
and Nature's mighty oven bakes the earth.
Live then, while you may, and eat your fill
for the sands in the hourglass are running out.

Carl Muller

I wish

I wish I could just touch your face,
Keep my world at your feet
And tell you how much
I love you.

I wish I could hold you
Every time I see pain in your eyes,
And keep you safe in my arms.

I wish I were an ocean
So that you can flow freely to me
Like a stream
And one day you and I become
One

Menaca Calyaneratne

'Dear' Lion

While walking through a amazing land
The lion came into a jungle
Where small animals suffered.....
While big animals having a gala time
With ample food and water
It saw the inequity lasted for years....
And all other dilemmas
Which made this jungle a hell
It had a brave golden heart.....
Which felt the pulse of innocent
small animals
The lion.....king of the jungle.....
Stood for justice all the time
Fought for the rights of small animals
Made the jungle a better place
Raised the lion flag.....
The lion left with pride holding
its head high
It was a special lion
Loved by deer, zebras and antelopes.

Nadira Gunatilleke

Truth and fascination

The pealing of the temple bell reverberated the atmosphere
When the sound of devotion awakened the motionless thoughts
The sweet smell of jasmine flowers rejoiced the lifeless feeling
When preaching the sermon soothed my mental depression

"Subject to decay are all component things,
strive on with diligence".....

Memories were re-awakened as if in a dream
When the reality of life was dawned with the doctrine
Darkened world of mine was bloomed with a peculiar fascination
Whispering sound of truth lulled me with determination

The craving, the desire and the lust for worldly pleasures, were
Subdued, with a bliss of emancipation and
The consolation and peaceful co-existence embraced the mind
And the fear of death was vanished at the sight of
Tranquil face of Lord Buddha

When the yellow robe enwrapped me at the auspicious time
Drops of tears from mother's eyes poured like a gutter
When she falls at my feet and worships me, I was dumb-founded
And I felt as if I was falling in to a bottomless pit..

Sudath Jayatissa Hewamadduma

Wayfarer's way

Wayfarer comes on his way
Nothing in his hands or in his mind
Doesn't know where he has to go
Just comes not known from where

Hurly burly men and women
With the look of labby and chubby
Bulging bags and baggages
Just come with unbearable weight

Rain and sun come in rotation
Wayfarer runs in to a roof
Others cannot do with a heavy load
Just come crawling through the hills

Wayfarer sees that sky is empty
Neither the sun nor even the moon
He can now go wherever he wants
Unlike the others burden with weights

Biding time they go into a shade
As they cannot redeem their bonds
Wayfarer has nothing to grab or to grip
Just comes and goes disappearing in the horizon

Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe

A.P. Junior

He's the naughtiest of boys,
With a most adorable smile,
With a cute little bulging tummy,
He dances in the air like a sprite.

A little tree sprite, who has touched my world,
Making it a little more beautiful,
"Little one, who do you love the most?",
He says "both mom and dad", are equally important.

Now he's a young man, no trace of the little man,
Who held house plays, where tickets were an obligation,
To buy, if we wanted to see him dance,
In his Kandyan costume, with red lipstick on.

My little dancer, is a grown man now,
Classical music is his current major love,
Pores over books, composes at a rate,
But his sweet baby spirit, I hope, will live on.

Namali Fernando