At end, each day

The ebb and flow
of the tides of life
flames of pink dawn
grey of dark nights,
mine eye doth witness
red horrors that are rife
humanity truly does
put out its light!

Rohan Jayawardena.

The treasure trove

I have a treasure trove
In my pocket
Filled to the brim
With nature's heritage
A curly sea shell
That reminds you of a
caramel pudding
A shiny black beetle
That died the previous day
The seeds of an unknown tree
A sign of new life
A little green leaf
So cool to the touch
A tiny yellow blossom
Delicate as could be
A little bird's feather
So feathery as ever
And here are the keepings
of my treasure trove
so pleasing to look through!

Nillasi Liyanage

The pillar box

I am a hollow pillar,
with a slit for a mouth,
They feed me paper night and day,
Then they take them out.

I have a little hinged door,
That opens with a key,
Where the postman unlocks
To un-burden me.

I stand upon the pavement,
Immobile and exposed,
To all the dreary elements,
I am never indisposed.

Painted red from crown to toe,
Except my base that's black,
Though in silence I'm on show,
Many people I attract.

Oh! the many secrets
That I have now in store,
That came in through the slit,
And went out through the door.

George Eddie

The wise fool

Here I am well fortified
By the fools blind to my pretence
The sole redeemer of the race!
Red is my colour; violence pleasure.
I scheme with the friend whom
No heavenly power can dare.

My domain is not so big
As to make my work risky.
A blast will end both
The killer and the killed.
No trace is left
To make me sick of sin.

Whoever broke the racial amity
Has he done so for my boon
Until the fools emerge from mist
Or shake off the blinkers to see the light
Blood will flow for ever
No matter whose it is.

T. M. J. B. Tennakoon

Smile again, Sri Lanka

As I gaze from my window this morning
What a beautiful sight meets my view,
It is Autumn and the Oak leaves are falling ...
But my country I'm thinking of you

Where's peace and the friendship and laughter,
That once decked you my beautiful isle?
In the midst of such violence and slaughter,
How can there be a ghost of a smile?

The red maple trees in the distance
Bring a message that tears me apart,
Makes me think of the bleeding and sorrow
Of my beautiful Sri Lanka's heart.

Why Oh why can't we think of our country
Live together as kinsmen once more
Give our hands to each other in friendship
As our forefathers did long ago?

Now it's evening, a cold wind is blowing
It's the end of another short day
Though in Lanka a warm sun is shining
Will the chill in her heart melt away?

When the heartbreak is over for Lanka
Will she rise from the ashes and pain?
Will the dawn of a brighter tomorrow
Make you smile then my country again?

Sheila Gunasekera

The changing day

The day dawns in splendour
Silent, pure wonder.
Garbed in dew dropped cloths
To entertain the crowd of course.

In minutes the day turns busy
The streets with tooting horns.
Ten women and children hurrying about
To tackle the hassle of the morn
to find relief there out
In hours the long day ends
Everyone tired and forlorn
Returns home like fawns
To hear of bombs, blood shed around
Sweeping away the brilliant morn
With hours of grievances in return.

Rinoza

I think of you day and night

In the morning when I open my eyes in my room alone,
The wind comes to me with your smell,
At night I gaze at the sky, I see your smile, beyond the stars,
I was your whole life at one time, but not now why?
Now I am not special for you,
Your powerful rays of your four letter word (L.O.V.E.) protected me.
I was everything to you,
I knew I meant the world to you and you were the world to me to
Until someone snatched you away from my hands.
You were my very first love,
Wondering what to do and where to go,
When you are with me.
Good and bad, ups and downs,
We spent many beautiful moments together,
Just the two of us,
Just you and me forever,
Gone are the days and nights, filled with happiness,
excitement with hopes
and plans.
What happened to us?
I think of you day and night,
Every minute of my life,
Pain and agony, gone through,
I die for you every time,
Every church I visited, I prayed for you,
That you realise the damage done,
And justice be done.

Your powerful words encouraged me,
How far we went, how far we climbed high,
You promised me to bond throughout our life,

Ignoring the uncountable pain and unbearable,
The sorrow I undergo with my strength, courage, and the
symbol of faith,
trust, with overflowing love and caring for you,
Don't think I never understand you, I always did,
When I try to forget what happened, and that didn't happen
I'm really very sorry,
And I need you to bond with me for life, and try to understand me,
As I need you and your child needs you,
Your mother, brother and sisters need you,
And remember we all need you the most forever.

Remember !
As we all think of you day and night !

A. Paul

Falling

Layers of fluffy flakes
And foamy frills
Flow Freely from
A mountain top.
Effortless they seem.

From a distance,
It fills my eyes;
How carefree is that fall
Of a thousand waters.

Up close
It must be
As cold as a cruel king,
As heavy as a mother's heart,
As unmanageable as a fling,
Could even kill like a poisoned dart.

But I choose to stand close
And see your pride, power and pain
So that one day
Standing at the same place,
I will see your beauty
In all its grief
In all its glory.
And I will be falling
Over, and over and over again.

Maleec Calyaneratne

Living in time

He waited for time
And time
Never came but passed him by
Turning
His dream home of morrow
Into the molehills of today
Risen sky high

He, then, chased the time
And for a day
He couldn't halt and stay
But passed by the time
Shredding today
Into the waste of
Tomorrow

Then, he no more
Chased or waited for the time
And in time
He did what he must and right
And bothered no more
Today or tomorrow
For he was the time

P.M. Fernando

War and peace

I, not I
He, not I
This is the beginning
We, not they
They not we
This is the beginning

We, poor
They, rich
This is the beginning

We, fair Ariyans
They, Dark barbarians
This is the beginning

They blasphemous infidels
We believing zealots
This is the beginning

They, own oil
We, need fuel
This is the fuelling

God Krishna to Arjuna
Preaching the just war
This is the Dharma

Pennants are blessed
Shields bear the cross
This is the sanction

Prophets of War and
Saints of Peace
Bloom and doom
This is the way

Viking warriors die in battle
They resurrect in Valhalla
their heaven
This is the reward

Gods and demigods
Fighting a class war
Even in the heaven

G.H.A. Suraweera