Poetry

The saga of the Koha

Inconspicuous in looks
Another version of a crow
Save for its Olinda eyes
Haunting the sprawling branches of trees
With its speckled mate.
Gobbling whole fruits
Off the spike-leaved tree with its yellow flowers.
Or mouthfuls of dankuda
Placed under the tree.
Never pecking
As crows and other birds do
But swallowing whole.
Perched with its mate on the branch
Swooping down for food
Silent! Silent! all the time.
Come 'Bak Maha
It opens its mouth out wide
'In full throated ease'
As Keats would have it.
The recesses of its throat
A deep red like its eyes
And lets out its plaintive tone
Loud and clear
Again and again
A clarion call
Legendary tales of the seeker of its sister
Akke ! Akke !
Superstitious tales of death for the repeater
Of its plaintive call
Seven times.
Impish boys echo its tone regardless
None the worse for it
Akin to its European counterpart
That heralds the spring
It heralds the new year
What secret lies behind the long-drawn silence?
Coming out alive only for the season.
At other times
Haunting the trees behind my house
The favourite perch
The Letta Kochcha tree
Couples and couples of them
The dark raven-like with the beady eyes
And the grey speckled with the same beady eyes
Silently perched
Silently gobbling
Until the close of another twelve month period
Shatters its dumbness.

Jeannette Cabraal

Memories of a friend

To my best friend, Heshini Witharana. (who was a victim of the Nugegoda bomb blast on 28th November 2007)

I don't know where to start from,
I'm still thinking how this all happened...
Until now I couldn't realize that you are not around,
Everywhere I see your smiling face,
Everywhere I hear your voice.....
Memories of yesterday linger in my mind,
As childhood friends we grew up together,
Swearing to be friends forever and ever...
You were my second half...
You knew everything there is to know about me,
You knew what worries me...
You made me laugh when I cried so hard...
You picked me up whenever I fell,
You took me under your wings when I was too scared to fly...
You gave me courage to achieve my ambitions...
You wanted me to be a queen, as a mother thinks about her child...
I thought you'll be there to welcome me...with your smiling face,
the day I come with my crown...
But it's only a dream now,
You went....and left me forlorn...
You know we thought to laugh one day,
by remembering our sweet past memories...
But now, I can never turn back to see my past,
My eyes get wet when I remember them.
'Cos I got no memories without you...
There are so many things in life that we regret doing...
But it's a million times worse, having to regret not doing something...
I couldn't thank you for everything you have done for me...
I couldn't tell you that, no one can fill the space that you have in my heart...
Yeah... really there is no one else like you...
and no one that can ever be a true best friend like you...
Days turn into months, months turn in to years,
I'm forever missing you...
Wishing you were here...
You weren't supposed to leave me,
This has to be a dream....
I can't accept your absence and bid goodbye for what it means....
But I know I have to do it.....
So until the day we can meet again,
"Goodbye" for now....
My everloving friend...

Inushka Erandhi Nanayakkara

The Time

I have worshipped many a God
Who did not kind unto me
My trust upon Karma or fate
All nothing but words
Just few guidelines,

I am only a biological unit
Born to grow, fade and die
If you are inquisitive
Learn now who would be
the mightiest of all
Never be late to fade the life in your eyes
Never be late to discolour the paint on your lips
Even take the memories in your brain cells,

Dinosour, Alexandor, Ceasor and Ashok
Homer, Shakespeare, Kalidas and Tagore
Moses, Buddha, Jesus and Mohammad
All greatest taken away by one
Who is impartial and merciless
The ruler of the universe
the Mightiest of all.

Palitha RANATUNGA

Take a leaf from

A bee is sitting on a rose
Collecting the nectar sweet
Butterfly came flying
A honey bird hungry too
Feasted from the rose
Common to all alike
No caste, no creed, no colour
No party, no faith, no binding
No difference, unlike the man
Full of jealousy, hatred, evil

Take a leaf from the rose
The birds and the insects
Unity, brotherhood, peace
Harmoney to all alike

D.M.P.B. Dissanayake

Paradoxes of modern times

We design more,
But accomplish less.

We have fast foods galore,
But delayed digestion.

We buy more books,
But less wisdom and culture.

We have more wealth,
But less humour and laughter.

We acquire more,
But enjoy it less.

We cross swords with each other,
But pray for peace.

We put up more shrines,
But the crime rate is not less.

We build more mansions,
But build less characters

We advise others,
But don't practise what we preach.

We have more beautiful houses,
But less peaceful homes.

We have variety of foods,
But less nutrition.
We have specialists galore,
But more problems.

We watch the T.V. always,
But meditate and pray seldom.

We have increased our income,
But curtailed our values.

We are worried of air pollution,
But not mental pollution.

We have conquered the outer space,
But not the inner space.

We have more high ways,
But less ways to survive.

We have more friends,
But less trustworthy ones.

We think more of ourselves,
But less about our poverty stricken neighbours.

We sing the praises of our leaders always,
But seldom emulate their principles and precepts.

L.V. Cabral

Awakening that inward eye

Rise up early long before dawn
Get ready to welcome the morn;
Sip by sip up to a litre
Three to four glasses of water
Nature's ideal chemistry
Remarkable water therapy

On a small platform sit
Legs crossed shin to shin knit
A comfortable relaxed position
Eyes closed for inward vision
Inhale copious draughts of air
Nature's bounty freely given fare

Half and hour of meditation
Sages of yore prescription
Body relaxes and sets at ease
Mind is content with peace
Goodwill to all, friend and foe
Greetings deep from the core

Sun rays are gradually creeping
Birds begin dancing and singing
Flower buds are opening
Dew on leaves are shining
That inward eye is awakening
A welcome day is breaking

RAJ

It

Evil is there
You hear reports of it
In the Daily News
Hokandara murders.
Sociologists may elaborate on it.
But I will not elevate it
With dulcet rhythms and rhyme.
It must be the devil -
Black, deformed and cunning.

Patrick Jayasuriya

The eternal night

Oh! my love
Please be kind
to close
the window above
where
the curious moon
and the sleepless wind
are waiting to see
this eternal night
which makes
our two hearts
into a one beloved

Haleen AMBEGODA