A homely morning at Hanwella Madya Maha Vidyalaya

"...such feelings coming over me,
There is wonder in most everything I see..."

Village lasses, a watch of gifted nightingales
Singing the rhythmic lines of the band "Carpenters"
Enticed me into nostalgia of sweet memory
With their refreshing euphony of the country melody

Walking tip toeing and running up
And down as bees were they in a busy hive,
Dancing and acting and making up
The budding junior performers for their next jive

T'was indeed an admirable presentation alive

Slim and chubby but smart,
High spirited ladies whole hearted
Were boosting young artists to a great height
To perform on stage sans stage fright

Behind the milk, a long the corridor,
Inside the green room, besides the chorus,
Loving lady teacher passionate and generous
Were engaged in an operation appealing
Making their "English Day" an event captivating

After six long years of retirement
Miserably separated from dear students,
I felt on September morning last
Revived by some pupils away from the capital city,
Playing Gaston, Jeanne and Juliette in dramatic hilarity
Of 'Villa for Sale" near Norgent-Sure-Marne

O. C. G. Senapathi

In this poem, the poet describes his impressions on a performance by village girls on 'English Day' at Hanwella Madya Maha Vidyalaya. In the evening of life and in retirement, the poet recollects the happy days he spent as a teacher surrounded by students. However, memories of those happy times are rekindled by the excellent performance of village girls. The poet using simple diction tries to capture the sporty nature of the young performers who are beaming with enthusiasm.

Memoirs

I will never forget,
That beautiful summer morning,
The day I met you decades ago,
On the paved little path,

Among the dew wetted green lawns,
Of the mighty Town Hall;
There were no second thoughts,
Or good sense in my love,

You were everything I ever wanted,
And, dreamed in my life;
Beneath the sunshine I saw you smile,
Through the rainbow I saw you cry,
In the darkness, I heard you sigh,
Under the moonlight, I made you mine;

You gave me yourself, but, not your heart,
You never loved me, but, pretended you did,
I felt the rejection,
but, never doubted you,

Because my love for you,
Was enough for both of us;
I never saw your pain,
Or your negative response to life,
I was impatient with you,

When you refused to be my wife,
I argued, I cajoled and I quarreled with you,
Until you revealed,

That you were not going to live long;
My dreams were cruelly shattered into pieces,
I felt the salty taste of the tears,
I had never thought I
would shed, ever,

My wishes, my hopes,
For a future of our own,
Flew through the windows of the bedroom,
We shared together;
I know, that you would never,
Understand why I left you,

I know that you would never,
Forgive me for walking out on you,
I know this is a belated confession,
And I would never be forgiven,

Because you have gone,
To the land of no return;
But, all I wanted was to remember you,
As my lovely chrysanthemum,
Full in bloom and giving joy to the world;
Never as a dead flower, squashed and withered,
Reminding me the truth of death and unhappiness.

Inoka Makalanda

The poem is about a departed lover. The poet describes the incident which shattered her conscience in an evocative manner. The poet skilfully captures the elated mood of a lover comparing it to a bright morning in summer. However, the romance turns sour following a confession that the lover would not live long. So it remains an important incident of life. The poem ends with a philosophical note on death and happiness. The poet uses a simple language with a lot of metaphors.

Do not weep for me...

Do not weep for me, when I am dead,
'Cause it is my wish every day;
Do not grieve for me, when I am gone,
Cause I never came to stay;
Do not mourn me, or commemorate my life,
'Cause I know, that you never really cared for me,
But, your own blood;

Never bemoan me,
Or, try to give deliverance to my soul,
'Cause I never want to meet you ever again,
In my journey through the motion world;

Forget about me,
Once I have departed,
'Cause I have vowed to forsake you,
To avoid meeting your kin;
Despite knowing you deeply love me,
Even though you do not know it,
Despite your kind hearted spirit,
Imprisoned by your own feelings of commitment,

To a set of ungrateful liars, ou had the bad luck to be born with.

Inoka Makalanda

The poem is addressed to a lover. It seems that the girl in love earnestly wishes that she be forgotten although the boy loves her. The girl is so disgusted with the boy that she does not cross path with him again in life. The poet expresses the predicament of marriage. However, the cause for the trouble seems to be the bad company of boy's 'friends'. The poet tries to highlight on an important aspect of traditional marriage and the clash of personalities and priorities of the partners in a relationship. The poet uses a down to earth language.

The departure

Happy hours rush quickly,
It's the time for the departure.
I bid farewell to all,
And finally steps towards him.
With a great difficulty,
I find words to express.
Where are the words that easily poured down?
"I'm going...Good bye",
I utter in a shrill voice.
And wait for a response,
From an expressionless face.
With an expectant look I wait for a moment.
No good byes,
No farewell hugs.
I take a deep breath,
And turn the other side.
I take another breath,
And I'm about to step forward.
"Don't go",
My hand is being held by a firm grip,
While the manly voice utters.
Thousands of unknown feelings surround me,
Making me weak with no vigor.
Every bit of strength I found,
To come to him and talk,
Seemed to have scattered away.
I stay breathless with no strength to step forward.

D.M.D. Kanchana.,
University of Kelaniya.

The poem is about an incident which epitomises the complex nature of love. The girl in love is about to bid farewell to 'him' and the boy grips the hand of the girl and stops her leaving. In this narrative poem, the poet tries to convey how painful it is to depart from a loved one. The poem is noted for its sincerity of expression.

The moment of epiphany

With tears filled to the brim
Struggling hard to hold back
With a dry maw, an aching heart;
The echoes of realisation
Dawn on me
I have left them; left them for good!

After twelve turbulent years
Here I lie,
In my new home!
Fond reminiscences gushing my mind
Once I was the root, the heart
The doting daughter
Of the cosy warmth of their cottage

Mischievous successor have now marched -in
To the abandoned glee
Enlivening the lives of the grandparents
Dolour and delight both at hand
I found myself unwinding
as my insight soothingly whispered ;
"None had ever returned! "

-Sameela Damayanthi Herat

The poem is about the realisation that the poet has 'left them all'; the cottage and the all animated and inanimate objects and persons associated with it. The poet has returned after spending 'twelve turbulent years' abroad earning dollars. Now she has returned to a new house to live with her grand parents. But those she left behind "None had ever returned!". The poem is about strong memories often associated with persons with rich emotional life.

The weeping lawn ...

(Composed at the International Students' House for Women-University of Delhi)

The petals of Roses have fallen,
Feathers of birds-all stolen.
On the green grass lawn, a building now stands,
One chapter is over; send for the band!

Evening merry-making,
In the summer we sat talking,
Sports day breath-taking,
But that lawn is now weeping.

Come on! It is for the benefit of all;
Many more girls would enjoy it on the whole.
Two more hostels like the one you adore,
My brain kept sending me signals on the go..

'Sure,that's true',said the common sense in me
But, MY HOSTEL! It looks so bleak,
The love and memories I wanted to reap,
Wouldn't be here for so long-I see.

God please help me accept change,
That the world won't stand still and wait;
I'll fight my tears, won't let them waste,
But cherish my past with a tear stained face....

G.C.Priyangwada Perera

The memoirs are strong and reflect a bygone milieu. In this poem, the poet recalls the changes that have been taking place at the International Students' House Women-University of Delhi. Though the lawn may be a just piece of land for the constructors and architects, it is an important signpost of memory for the poet. The poet recalls happy days of chatting with colleagues on the lawn in the summer. Some of the happiest moments are associated with the environs of the university. The poem is noted for its brevity.

Too late

Too late
Far away
I can see your eyes
Telling me something ...
'Put them into words'
I said
You said nothing
It was just a smile ...
A smile which told
The same thing
That I never heard you say ...
I could wait no more
And today
I'm dressed in white
Covered with roses
With him holding my hand
Willing to hear my promise
And today...
You whispered it to my ear
'I love you' ....
Suddenly everything seems
To float ....
My heart says,
Go! Run into his arms !
He is your world!
But...
Those innocent eyes ...
The eyes which belongs
To her ...
Who kept me close
Protecting me, loving me ...
And given birth to me ...
Pleading me with tears...
And telling me,
'Daughter your are my world'
I'm sorry ...It's too late

Priyangi Wijewickrema

The poem describes fond memories of a departed soul. The bondage among children and parents are strong and often children realised parents' love towards them 'too late' when they had already left the world. Here a daughter recalls fond memories of a mother. However, the daughter realises mother's affection 'too late' and repents over it. The poem is noted for its short but evocative lines.

A red rose

A red rose
In a garden
I saw
A sweet rose
Smiling so brightly
In red
There I saw
Almost everyone
Took a glance
At her
Praising her beauty
Some days passed
I was again on my way ...
I happened to look at her;
But it was not the rose,
I saw,
Some days ago
Brightness and red
Had all gone,
Only the dried
Withered petals
were there
but I could hardly see
Any one
(Who once praised her beauty)
Glancing at her

-Ashi Liyanaarachchi

Through a common place incident the poet drives home the message that beauty is skin deep and transient. The bright red rose of yesterday would become a withered heap of petals today as in life. Naturally those who appreciate the beauty of it would dare look at the withered petals with the bright red and glamour evaporated into thin air. In a way, it is a lesson in impermanene.