"Death be not proud"
You stalk your victims mercilessly.
You strike them down swiftly
Or drive them slowly to an end without dignity.
You spare no one: Young Old Man Woman
Famous Unknown.
In the past year alone you have struck
down luminaries
Unimpressed by their achievements:
Gamini Hathotuwegama, Henry Jayasena,
Sesha Palihakkara, H.L. de Silva,
Eva Ranaweera, Christine Spittel Wilson,
To name just a few.
You have killed countless soldiers
Too young to achieve fame.
You came stealthily at dead of night
And felled the person dearest to me.
May lightning strike you as retribution
But may you survive to mend your ways
Be merciful gentle swift
Until such time we humans find a way
To sail into space and eternity
Leaving you earthbound and redundant!
I am using the title of one of John Donne's poems
Chitra Premaratne-Stuiver |