Self?

When I was growing up
Amidst unfairness and less help,
My education was halted;
Progress hampered;
By tale-bearing associates,
Relatives, acquaintances;
My good life snapped,
Changed and was stunted.

Do I see pre destining?
Was it payback for exercising
My free will previously?
See myself a winner finally?
Did I mention self?
Either thinking I have one, or, have no self,
Both are wrong, as both are fetters
From the false idea, "I am", they arise.

Objectively viewed, it seems
A combination of aggregates,
Mental and physical, working sort of
Independently, within a law of
Cause and effect - it has
As in all manifested things;
Upon analysis, no form continuous,
Of unchanging substance.

If there is no self, on whom
Do results evolve, to doom?
Who gets the results of actions?
To see conditionality, one trains;
When understood,
All false antitheses are destroyed,
Everywhere in all things
Speculation and conceptual belief are worthless.

"Pull out the arrow",
Said the Teacher,
"Its length, provenance and
The man who shot are unimportant,
And worrying causes delay.
There are beings with only a
Little dust in their eyes
Unless heard and understood, lost they will be"

Punya Abeyasekera

The three golden eggs

Once there were three golden eggs
Lying on the streets
Somebody saw it
He looked for the owner
But there was nobody
So he took it to his house
And kept them as ornaments

One day the three golden eggs were hatched and
three baby dragons came out
the owner was frightened and
did not know what to do with the three babies.
He thought they might set fire to the house!

Suddenly one baby dragon
coughed so hard that fire came out
the owner wondered what to do.
Suddenly the dragon mother
came and took the three
babies and went away.
The owner fainted then and there.

Dunithra De Silva

To the child sentenced to death

I pray for you, dear
Money is not important,
Human lives are more important
We don't take an eye for an eye,
Or a tooth for a tooth
Lord Buddha never said so.
To err is human,
To forgive is divine, said Jesus
Every Muslim is a child of God,
Said Allah.
Not only every Muslim,
Everyone is a beloved child.
Of the universe.
Fear not, little child,
All our prayers are
With you
We grieve for,
The baby who died,
But we are compassionate enough,
To forgive you.
Smile!
Soon you will be free.

Chandrasriya de Silva

Everest

When will the white ant the ascent of Everest count?
Even if it crawls up the cragged mount
Only an ant's length of treasure
Will it ever measure
Still on that inexorable height,
The world's small termite.

Patrick Jayasuriya

The night of the Scorpion

I can still remember the night
when a tiny scorpion fell right
on to my sleeping mother's eye
from a wooden rafter high

In a flash he stung his venom
ere she woke up and struck him benumb.
Smarting with pain she put me up from the cot
where I was sleeping as a tiny tot

She bade the servant to carry
me away to my grandma's home and there to tarry
so that I would not see her plight
of groaning in pain with no relief in sight

I can still remember how I perched
on the tall man's shoulders and clutched
his head nodding in sleep and in fright,
as he waded thro' the rainy night

Soon I fell asleep again and knew not
what had befallen my mother in her lot
It was only years later that I learnt
that a faith-healer had relieved her of distress by his chant

C. Rudra

Give me back my pen

Untie my hands
give me back my pen
My bubbling thoughts struggle
I cannot let them turn fossil
Leave me alone with my pen
To expose the dark recesses of corruption
The rotting corruptions, odour
Emanating from the whited-sepulchres
of those parading paragons of 'goodness'

Give me back my pen
To write in bold letters
The charity that in fullness abide
In those who help the needy
Not permitting the left hand know
What the right hand does.
The sincerity and truthfulness of those
Whose actions rhyme with their words
And the loving humanity of those
That try to understand man
To help man
Because he is man.

Victor peries

Paean of love

What is love....
My vision is,

The strong feeling I have mere for ye
Which could never be faded
Which could never be kept aside
Which is always in my soul,

The first day our eyes met
The first day you asked "hows: of fine
The first day we hiked together,
Are the sweetest memories of my life,

Your tender love made me bloom,
Have enlighted my entire life.
And filled my heart utmost
No other else get any room.

You are the pulse of my heart
Who made me living
I will always be with you
Eventhough I miss you,

The love of my life is you
and you're all I ever will wish
Darling, be with me in the road of life
And let's not let, even the fiery death
Do us apart...!

Sugath Sandun Pathirana

The meeting of merchants

I walked through the dusty market streets
In the blazing mid day heat
Seeking that which I needed most
Three merchants I did meet.

"Far sale, I have prosperity"
Said the plump and merry one
"Riches and comforts stretching
Far beyond the sun!"

Said the next "I deal in wisdom
And knowledge of all unknown
Use my wave ever wisely,
Then you may reap what you have sown."

The third said "My offer is immortality,
To spend all eternity at ease,
Knowing that time and death never will
You of your precious moments cheat"

I told them they had not what I came for
And preceded to the vendors above
But each of them just shook their heads
And said "None can purchase love"

Nivanka Fernando

Peace

Peace as we know it is the absence, of strife,
The sole ingredient in mankind's life.

Deep in the heart of every human soul,
The search for happiness is manifold.

Yet desire for good things at another man's cost
Often leads to good friendships lost.

When peace and quiet is ruffled and torn,
A fire of disquiet is indubitably born.

The links of brotherhood ripped asunder,
Anger and revenge rumble and thunder.

Often times displays shameful attitudes
Unmindful of others, have no latitudes.

The misconception that happiness brings peace,
Is soon lost when the newness cease.

Contentment is believed to be the periphery of peace
The absence of desire the core of peace.

If peace to avail then sacrifices must
On the altar of patience shall nerve be lost.

George Eddie