Crying Crow

Hated by many
Treated by few
Fro my colour and presence
O'men, born black
Is not my choice
Black and white depicts
Realities of life
See me as a part of the
World of day and night
And treat me
Right.....

Ramu Ranasinghe

A higher Love

"Stay with me a while, sweet love -
Do not wander far from my side."

Lingering sentiments of a lover:
I have not.

For
Far from my side how could you go
When a part of my being, you've become?

Whether near or far,
Whether happy or sad;
In many different shapes and colours
You enrich my life, and make me whole.

I wish not 'forever together',
I wish not to hold you tight in my fist;
I wish you would remain the dream I searched for -
and found.

For in your blissful contentment, you give me life:
To breathe, hope and live life again

Enjoying who I am -
The greatest gift of all.

Nell

Remembering Monica

An irony of fate, was it not?
Your plea for longevity
From goddess Pattini*
The goddess of strength

A beacon you wanted to be,
A sweet smile on those parched lips
of many toiling women
In field and factory
In office and home

Complacent not could you be
To rest on your many laurels
'The poetess of our time'
swimming against tide

Were not there misgivings
or was it 'hubris'
that angered your goddess
not to hearken your plea

Or, did you offend that great Hellenese,*
Father of Medicine
with all your 'impudent' talk?

* (References to Monica Ruwanpathirana's two works 'Asan Pattini Devatavi' and Hippocratise saha Roginiya. Monica died in July 2004.)

Malani Govinnage

Mind

The mightiest, the quickest,
Having infinite power to go anywhere,
Every moment on the go
And it is very difficult to arrest and tame.

Many a great man has reached the top
While many untimely have fallen;
Because, because of your behaviour
Which has shaped their path of destiny.

For everything, it is said
The root cause is your presence.
Yet, the absence of your presence
Seems to send people off their brain.

The trouble I have is to find this kind
As no one has, so far, been able to find.
Please, tell me the location if you find
Till then, oh, I can't make up my mind!

A. Jayalath Basnagoda

Redemption

May you walk through tender meadows
of sunshine and warmth
May the doors of heaven open
at the sound of your footsteps
May a bright angel watch over you
As did the one
whom you watched over here
May the laughter and joy
of simple pleasures felt
follow you through
your inevitable journey
May we grieve your loss
by consoling ourselves
that we have given you back to the Lord
who gave you to us
May we meet again
on the horizon of eternity
when our ship finally sails
beyond every limit
of our sight

Ruwantissa Abeyratne

Ode to old singers

I have a rendezvous with charm
When I listen to songs sung in the past,
Oft my courage I summon not to harm
But praise their lilts left ever to last.

I have a rendezvous with charm
When their songs fall on my ears,
Unforgettable is their rendering done in calm
Fairies came to dance whistled sweet cheers.

I have a rendezvous with charm
When heard their laughter blend with glee,
Singers were they shining, never did they harm
Harmonium, tabla, they played, they kept scale free.

I have a rendezvous with charm
When I listen to songs coming from old records,
Melodies they offered with no malice nor harm
May their voice live long, with no long strokes.

I have a rendezvous with charm
When Master Rupasinghe's image comes to mind,
Eddie Master, Vincent M. K., Perera U. D., were singers of fame
Bells chimed when Luxmi and Lathif Bais kept time.

I have a rendezvous with charm
When Mohideen Beig, Ibrahim, Ananda Samarakone sang,
Rukmani and Kokila Devis, Vasantha meant no harm
To Greata Jenet, Rajalakshmi when they joined the band.

I have a rendezvous with charm
When Junior Eddie, Samaraweera Titus, joined their hand
With Dias Ciciliyana, Kumari Paali, Karuna Devi offered palm
Siriwardhana Peter, Fonseka Henry, Devi Asoka duets they sang.

I have a rendezvous with charm
When Ratnaika Allen's songs echoed, like a Saigal, Joharsha sang,
We love their voice, relish their songs, we meant no harm
Old records give us music, listeners are kept in a trance.

Singers were they, smiling male and female
Laughter and mirth, they were on their face,
Harmonium, Thabla they played, they kept the scale
Music they played, with fragrance, yet they ran no race.

M. D. S. Maithripala

I want a change

Some thoughts
Ask me to believe....
Some feelings
Ask me not.

There is a war
Deep inside me.
Between my own
Brain and heart.

Sometimes my brain is
About to win.
Sometimes the winning is
Only for heart.

Life is too difficult
In front of a war.
I want a change
Want peace for my life

A.H. Paranawithana

Seige of Thoppigala

The rock in the jungle thick
Shape like a hat of course
Called Thoppigala
In the eastern region
Renowned from the days unknown
For its flora and fauna
More than two decades back
Terrorists made Thoppigala
Their domain on the rock
Unwinnable, invincible, unreachable
Dreaded, murderous and heinous.
The lions got the orders.
Marched and roared
The tigers grinned
The lions roared
Like the light brigade
They trek to the jaw of the tigers
Cannons in front of them
Booby traps to the right of them
Claymore mines to the left of them
Mine fields to carpet them
Cannons thundered
Guns rattled
Air Force rained bombs
The lions roared
The tigers grinned
Hid their tails between
Their legs and ran for life
Thoppigala regained
Lion flag flutters
It was the most unkindest
Cut of all to the tigers.

D. M. P. B. Dissanayake

Tsunami

The waves lapped the beach
That lay stretched
Like a woman sprawled
They lapped and gently hissed
Like a woman being kissed
Pressing softly on the lips
Then, down they slip
To return and relive the bliss.
Nature's children in union.

The waves become stronger, wildly lashing
Gushing with vigour, rushing and splashing
Raising sand and swiftly settling
Foam floating and quickly vanishing.
This phenomenon prevailed over the years; eons of years
The beach bore it with joyous tears.

Then they violently rose
With unusual force
Are you mad, for what cause?
The beach posed.

Far into the sea the waves did depart
A long stretch of bare land exposed
Like a desert.
Oh my love!
For what offence do you desert me!
The beach wailed.

Then they charged
Growing in strength
Swelling in size
Gathering momentum
Hitting fast
At full blast
Like a marauding sea dragon
Emerging from the ocean
Sand was dug by the rolling demon
With force brutal and uncommon
Distorted beach lay battered
Hollowed and furrowed and mounds scattered
Like a woman ravished and tortured
Nature's children had fiercely battled.

T.M.S. Nanayakkara