In a remote school
Innocent faces
Marked with signs of poverty
Makes me want to cry
Inside bitterly
Unwashed shirts and shorts
Reveal their true story
Barefooted little ones
Stand in line at school
They never know, why they come?
What is there to be learnt?
And why should they learn?
And the school... really for whom?
Help father in his work
Help mother to look after the kids
That's what they usually do
That's the only job, they've supposed to do
So, why is there a school?
What's the use of science?
Social studies and English?
They've not in their lives.
What then their worries?
What'll they eat today?
How will they spend the day?
When'll the rains begin?
As a habit they come to school
And leave at the same time
The whole world to them
Is the village of their own?
Chitra Malinee Meegahapola
Something to forget
It is a silent night
Just remembering
Your voice
Your smile
Your jokes...
Not that I want to listen to
See or hear...
Your voice, your smile, your jokes
They only hurt me...
At the end, I found
How you've been cheating
Me...!
All those years...
Moushi Samarasena
"Not for sale"
Responding to a proposal,
Accompanied with relatives,
A boy came on a visit...
Was this an auction?
Am I an item of trade?
Yet, I displayed myself
In front of them...
Neither he lifts up his downfallen head,
Nor a smile or a glance of recognition...
They all went, and later phoned,
Saying...., "She's not bad"...
But... how am I to realize his silence?
Was it an act of humility?
Or an act of arrogance?
This is a selection of a lifetime
Which leads towards divinity...
Or else to a doleful life
This is what I thought
But did not speak a word
Neither this is an auction
Nor I'm for sale!
W. K. S. Inoka Weerasuriya
Scriptures
Holy and sacred
Tune immemorial
Scribes of religion
Chronicled
Historic parchments
Survived the years
In vigilant protection
Safe and secure
Generations descend
As verbal conveyance
Exchange truth
While written text
Reveal God
Worship Buddha
Expound Allah
Explain Krishna
Pages narrate
Divine history
Many protagonists
In religious drama
To adulate ever
The read for wisdom
Rearrange lives
Follow destinies
So much contention
In holy scriptures
Miran Perera
Bosom friend
Can you feel it, my friend?
There is a real bond between
You and me
It's our friendship
It's not the words, thoughts
Or gossip that tell us
We are caring for each other
It is the heart that really
Save us from the mirage of
Amiss and unleash of trust
It believe you my friend and
I'm with you in every part and
Parcel of your happiness and grief
Will you promise me my friend
That you wont exceed the
Limit of our amity or
Throw me out of your life?
Fathima Muznath Manzil
'Divine' friend
Allure as of a divine creature
Pleasing in your simplicity
Sailed into class every morning as from heaven
As a friend who had time to spare
Rewarding us with your charming smile
Always blooming
A snapshot records our batch in one still smile
As it is
After a lapse of four years
Your smile is amiss
Yet
It does not matter
For no snapshot
Can ever capture your smile
Your living breathing smile
As our hearts can.
- Chanakya and Nillasi Liyanage (Dedicated to the memory of dear
friend Apsara who passed away untimely)
Sri Lanka my home
From humblest of hut
To a beautiful flower bud
Might forest adorn the land
Coconut trees dot the sand
The weather is a perfect blend
In its warmth hearts can mend
Tears of joy flow down my face
It is good to stand in this place
This is Sri Lanka, my home
Endless beaches of white sand
In this green paradise isle
Luscious valleys dot the land
Indeed I would like to stay awhile
To enjoy the gentle patter of rain
Returning home brings forth a smile
Of foreign lands and emotional pain
It's a joy to come home once again
Let us all work together
All of you sisters and brothers
Let us make Sri Lanka better
And focus on issues that matter
Let us work in peace and kindness
And forget war and madness
Let us hold hands and pray
For dawn of a bright new day!
Kishan De Silva
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