POETRY

Rain Drops

Cute slippery drop by drop
Bubbly drops they always hop
You often come from no where
To silver net, you turn my hair.

Pitter patter your footsteps go,
I love to greet you, say "Hello"!
But every time you abscond me,
"Rain! Rain! Please stay for tea"

I try to touch, you always splatter
"Why in a hurry, what's the matter?
Forever coming out of blue
Rush away without any clue."

Do you come to bathe the trees,
Flowers, grass, houses and bees?
When you pour, paper boats float
Boats, canoes yachts of all sort

Rain rain surely come again
I never said "Go away
You're magic through the pane
Rush tomorrow down the lane.

Radha Ranjani Jayawardena

Reflections on Esala Poya

Queen Mahamaya's dream a miracle,
Magnificent white elephant depicting oracle,
The birth of Rahula, a fetter on this day
Leaving Princess Yasodhara amidst moonlit rays,
On faithful Kanthaka, galloped away,
From Kapilawasthu, forgetting royal ways,
To seek Supreme Truth, for man's liberation
To end untold suffering - great Renunciation!

Performed maiden sermon, melodious
'Dhammachakka Sutta' wheel of Law wondrous
To pancavagga ascetics of Migadaya
First Bhikku ordained, Ascetic Kondanna
At the foot of spreading tree, Ghandamba
Curbed, reformed arrogance many a Nigantha
Established 'Vas' a retreat rainy season
With panchavagga monks, observed with reason.

Memorable visit to see mother in heaven Thusitha,
Dwelling among Devas to preach Vijambana
The first Council significant at Isipathana
Yamamaha Prathihara, great phenomena
Ordained numerous Aryan lad's n Prince Arittha
At Thumburu Chapter house, Seemamalaka.

Initiated 'Kandy Perahera' colourful pagent
Tooth Relic in golden casket in caparisoned tusker elegant,
Paraded streets in regal splendour,
Traditional cultured, pompous grandeur
King Dutugemunu laid foundation, Ranveliseya
Coincident, 'Sadhu, Sadhu' rhythmic chants at Migadaya

Esala flower strands cascading piously
Like a yellow ascetic robe strewn gently
To pay humble homage, utmost reverence
On this historic day, abounding, obeisance.

- Kumari Kumarasinghe Tennakoon

Incredible

Weak, worn, wobbly and skeletal
An octogenarian
In tattered soiled clothes
I know death is inevitable
Peace is acceptance,
But an unfathomable chasm
Remains haunting, incredible:
The trauma, searing
Of those gentle hands
And the steadfast cerulean eyes
leaving an infant mewling
in the cradle,
And vanishing for ever into the maw
of death
Why, oh wherefore, my thoughts
Have been searching all the years
delving into tomes erudite
Traversing astral spaces in recurrent dreams
only to return, vacuous, ever
To the angst, the chasm
of loneliness

Ben Rasnaek

First Impression

To a vacant mind
Because of a soul in a far a way land
Reminiscences haunted the fragile
Disobedient thoughts
Left behind an erotic pleasure
That nobody would give.
Yet,
The nearest guy awaits the answer
While
Another enters the scene.
Outwardly harmonious
Yet inwardly, ruined.
The mentor's words about the intruder
"A bad character"
Annoy the mind
Mentor is rebuked "An enemy"
With the tongue showed to him with
"Furious words"
Heading towards an unknown world.
Hits with a paperball condescending
To a woman with a basket on her head.
When the "Sick" tantalises the body
First impression comes to her mind
"Bad character"
Badly sandwiched between "Desire and morality"

Piyadasa Rillagoda

The Drumstick Tree

In my mind is etched the vision of a drumstick tree
A lonely, sturdy, greyish - green tree
Standing upright against a dark wall
Overlooking the houses set close by and
Watching the far off church, hundred years old.

The sun glances through its sweeping,
embracing boughs
Their branches and graceful tender stems
Make patterns on the narrow roadway.
At noon the shadow of the tree heavy
With luminous leaves of green and gold
Are printed across in block relief.

In the misty murmuring of morn
I see the tree with bead-like dewdrops
Glittering on lacy leaves, so they may turn silver
When moonlight casts a brilliance and perfection
On twigs inter-laced and patterned.

The wind whispers secrets when the tree
Is plunged into the darkness of night
Mere traces of filigree drifting in waves
Down, down to touch the wall
With each teasing, vagrant breeze
Disturbing faded leaves to float and fall.

Suddenly the boughs are ornamented
With flowers abundant, gossamer white
But there's perpetual harmony in the flourishing tree
Holding a promise in each tiny flower
Which into tender, stalk-like drumsticks unfold.
With a rhythm from within, nourished by the
mother tree,
Urging them to grow and hang fleshy and green
A nourishing vegetable for you and for me
How good it is to know that Nature
Makes not only a tree for beauty
A tree like a song or even like a dream
Yet provides, something good, something worthy
Emerging in the outspread opulence
Of the leafy, shadowy drumstick tree

Caryl Nugara

Life......

Our life is like a river,
That flows slowly downwards.
We think it won't stop forever,
But will go slowly downwards.

Sometimes we climb the mountains of hopes,
When we fail down we come.
Like two sides of a balance, our life and hopes,
Come out of mind in a thrice like a sum.
Sadness and happiness flow through our wishes,
Like boats floating on a river.
Anyone can stop the flow of life,
Just like polluting a big river

We meet bad and good friends,
To talk, to joke and to share.
Be mindful to choose only good friends,
To talk, to joke and to share.

Like a river which flows turning,
We turn out from challenges.
Someday at sometime without turning,
Our life will stop, it won't ages.

D.W. Lilani Anuruddhika

The Unexplored Me

Engulfed in a dilemma mysterious
Between Now and the Past
I seek salvation
From the Omnipresent
And yet the awakening
Never comes to pass
Know thyself, the transcendent
declared: how I wouldn't know
What am I ? Oh ! it's the Unexplored
Me

K.S. Sivakumaran

All are One

Gold never created different communities.
Therefore, He will not welcome calamities.
Sky, earth and blood anywhere is one.
Therefore, why involve in communal fun?

Community differences will be an obstruction.
For the smooth development of a poor nation.
Let all the human beings live together.
With peace and harmony to one another

Nazly Cassim

Reprobate

No rut-elephant remains lassoed
With gossamer filmy clew,
So is man in lechery wallowed,
Will never his vice eschew.

Jayaweera D. Gunaratne

Where do They go ?

Outside
the school playground
I
look up at the evening sky
And
watch the birds
In aerobatic formation
Flying
by.
Where
they come from
Where
do they go
Only
the birds really know.
Flying
high
Flying
by
In
the fading evening sky.

Charmaine Candappa