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poetry
Renaissance
Monstrous mayhem massacred millions
Brought to a halt by the military mission.
Maniacs murdered
Butcher beheaded at last.
Nation must rejoice a war well won second to only Hitler?s.
Not only by thronging the streets shouting,
exploding crackers, or waving the National Flag.
But by a true change of thought word and deed.
Victory was gained after hard toil by the brave brethren
Their travails not in vain
Thousands dead, thousands crippled, thousands left homeless
By a war waged by villainous whites.
Moment?s silence is not enough to pay homage
Days and days of celebrations won?t repay
But arise! arise! From the ashes of the dead
Like mother India or Japan after war
To follow their path
Through commitment and hard work
To wipe out poverty
To bring prosperity
To this isle of paradise
To make their monuments glisten with gold.
Anula Peramune
Indifference
The jasmine bush hanging over the car porch
Houses this lone honey bird
Brown, yellow, tiny to look at
He roams among the delicate white flowers
And the elegant greenery
That emulates heavenly sweetness.
He is carefree and unafraid
Yet not too familiar.
Enjoys life to the fullest
Till the car is parked and he sees
His reflection in the mirror.
For then it becomes his life?s mission
To attack this unknown friend or foe
Who responds and imitates
But fails to generate any love hate or fear
Caged within this cold hard object, his prison.
Kamani
Jayasekera
To my husband
In this time of changes
Years may come and go
Thoughts go on, never ending
When everybody is rushing ahead
When everyone racing against each other
You always give me a thought
Prefer to wait for me to catch-up
It?s almost thirty years together
Warmed by the closeness we have shared
Enjoyed and still enjoying your company
Your firmness, sternness - hard words mean a lot to me
Understand life better with bitter lessons
Helped me to realise the truth as it is
A father so great you are
To your beloved three
And with the two little ?Kiran and Saheli?
You look even greater.
So dear Ruwan,
We shall rock the boat together
Balancing it with all our might
But nothing is permanent you know
And I?ll always be with you by side
Till nature decides to depart us.
Sudarshe
Vistas
The heart soars
To never before reached heights,
Not fear or ghastly terror
But peace and freedom reign,
Over the skies, sea and land;
Clouds, trees and soil
Breathe the air of peace.
Ah! To wander in the hills
Forests, woods and beaches,
To worship the sacred shrines
Seruwila, Somawathie and Nagadeepa.
Kumana, Wilpaththu and Yala
Beackon the nature-lover.
To watch the idyllic sun rise
Strolling Arugam Bay?s white sandy cover.
?Come?. The voice is loud and clear,
?Pack your bags, my pals,
Do not have any fear,
See the enchanted isle
Where its beauty, serenity lie.
Sunila Nanayakkara
Lonely figure
Rain and sun shine
Are same for that lonely figure
In that park
When the sun grows hot and hot
The lonely deserted bony man
Bears the heat and the burn
Of the blazing sun
Sudden shower of
rain wets him
Thoroughly.
Since he has no shelter
Nor an umbrella
To protect himself
From heavy fall of
Rain
None takes care of
This abandoned human figure
Everyone passes remarks.
At this unwanted man
For him no registration
In the renewing electoral
Register by the Grama Sevaka
For him there is no identity
Card to prove his
nationality
Even the Police Department
does not bother to
Check his identity
So where is he from?
And where is he bound for?
M.Y.M. Meeadh
A vengeful father
Yonder lies my father, dead and cold,
In a coffin drapped in black and gold
While those near and afar walked up and away,
Poor mother, sorrow-stricken, in a corner lay.
All that came, bowed and perhaps knelt
To whisper a prayer for the soul that had left
But I stood afar knowing not what I should wage
And lo! my mind?s eye drifted to a bygone age.
The family?s black sheep I then was called,
Never offering a lending hand to one or all
But creating problems of untold magnitude
Thus bringing the family to utter disrepute.
I stood still gazing at the crowd
Which continued to pour in crying aloud.
Running towards father, placing his face against mine
I sobbed and sobbed recalling those bad times.
Retreating towards mother, I loudly did cry
Till all the tears in my eyes were dry.
It was now past the hour where spookes did reign
And me thought I should sleep and rest from pain,
?Cause work on the morrow be more than I could stake.
Sleep soon overtook me, but rudely I did awake
Behold father, life-like, now stood by my kin
Appearing to speak, his face with smiles serene.
He next turned around, facing me fearfully growling
His countenance dramatically changing.
With blood-shot eyes and hands raised high,
He walked towards me and frightened was I.
Jumping out of bed and giving out a yell
Right into my mother?s arms I did fell.
She looked bewildered and indeed surprised
And so were those that were there that night.
Father?s apparition remained in my mind for long
Hence I could not bring myself to stay on till dawn
Leave I must, and it must be doubly fast
To a far off place before the day is past.
In luck?s way, was I, to meet my friend are long,
Where he greeted me warmly with a song.
A cordial chat over a warm up drink
Gave my troubled mind that most needed link.
Many things we did speak, present and past
But refrained I from re-living my father?s last,
Lost he should wonder why I was here
Rather than at home with mother to be near.
Dinner preceded again with the spirits that cheer,
Which almost drove out that haunting fear.
The time was now right to rest and that fast
And together, cheerfully and gladly, we did part.
Sleep; I may have been for well two hours
But rudely was I awakened by some strange powers.
I sat up on bed all bathed with sweat,
While all around seemed still and quiet.
A gong far off struck the hour of midnight
And with it I was blinded by an errie light
Which lit the room with a light so mild
And lo! in a corner stood father frightfully wild.
Towards me he walked with hands stretched wide
Yet menacingly looking, but I tried to hide.
He sprang up into the air and began to float
Right up to where I lay, with much gloat.
?I have come for you?, he thundered.
Hopeless it was now and with a yell, I surrended.
J.I. Rosairo |
