Heal the world

They are like flowers
They don't have jealousy
Hate or fury

They are not cruel
They never say 'we want this or we want that'
When they want something
Or when they get hungry
They can only cry for that

They don't have problems
They are always free
The king of pop
Michael Jackson sang to them
Then, who,
They are children
They are the world
Make a better and lovely place
For them

Jayanth THARANGA

The poem with the famous title of a song sung by Michael Jackson is about children and their inherent purity. Children are devoid of hatred, jealousy and enmity like blooming flowers. The poet ends the poem with a plea for a better world.

Futility

Some plan,
To get a cake,
Pushed others to act...Crowded in one place,
With weapons, words and arms

They fight to win that piece of cake
Ruthlessly....
The end comes
The place is covered in gore,
And of destroyed souls,
Of who acted and watched ...
People who planned,
Smiles, the fight is over
Shaking their hands,
The food, now is in bits,
Covered with dust,
Lying forgotten ...

Bhagyani RANDUNUGE

Using the metaphor of cake, the poet describes the futility of fighting over a piece of land. At the end of the fierce battle what has been left is a land full of rubble without a soul. The poet uses short lines.

Tonight

The wind will tickle me tonight
When I lie in the bed alone
Looking at the starry sky sight
Searching where you carry on.

The moon will tease at me with his fellow stars
Asking where has gone my glee.
I miss thy warmth and mingling breaths
When the tickling wind freezes me.

I will be boozed alone tonight by wine
The empty cup will recollect the taste of thy red lips
Mine are wet with wine, yet dried without the touch of yours
May the whine of my nil mind regain you before my soul collapse.

Tonight may you shine amidst the stars in the sky,
And may you luminance luster my soul as before you die.

Kasun Deeptha HANDUN PATHIRANA

In this poem, the poet evocatively narrates the separation of a lover and the girl is alone on the bed dreaming of him. Her red lips are waiting and tonight, it is only the wine and only the empty cup that will taste her lips. The poet skilfully recreates the girl's disturbed state of mind.

Crowded Loneliness

The house;
Full of Nobody
Still lets me survive,
I, moving from room to room
Look for the voices, noises,
Jokes and Laughter,
That echoed beyond the wall;
And now I only find
Invading overgrown grass
And my crooked shadow
providing me companion !

A. Jayalath Basnagoda

In this poem, the poet expresses profound loneliness particularly at the evening of life. The narrator lives alone in a huge house which would have been filled with laughter and chats of kith and kin. However, now it is occupied by loneliness with empty rooms which can, in a way, be compared to life without companion, perhaps, for life. Companionship is one of the primary needs of life and the poet brings its out effectively in a simple diction.

A bird's song

When I was walking along the streets of hope
Heard a bird singing its song
Enchanting, beautiful song it sang

It was full of life, freedom and hope
Bewitched my heart and I couldn't move
I stopped ,listened and thought for a while;
after what we are running our whole life through
Being restless sometimes being useless
All the good things we fail to reach
Only the bad things we collect around us
The bird sings because it has a song
But what do we have to sing in our song
Nothing but a set of meaningless words!

Surani CHANDRASEKARA

In this poem, the poet describes how she was enticed by the singing of a bird while walking along the street of hope. The underlining message of the poem seems to be that people have missed out a lot of beautiful moments in life because of the rat race that they are engaged in. Though the latter part of the poem sounds like a statement, the poet stresses the fact that people should not gather bad things but take off time to enjoy life.

Holy-Quran...

Holy -Quran, I saw your beauty!
Assalamu Alleikum-Warahamstulla Wabarakathu
As a resplendent 'diadem'
That decorated with the pearls of 'love' and 'beauty'
Knitted with the golden thread of 'mercy'
Engraved and embedded with colourful gems of 'ethic' and 'piety'

As a "king of tree"
That donates the "coolness" and "humidity"
Of the "universal Creator"
With the stretched branches of "Shady" spreading
And the foliage of "Secure" irradiating "weariness eradicating"

As a picturesque sequined embroidery
Which beaded and designed
With diamonds of "Compassion"
And silver threads of "Veracity"

As the brightest "Guiding star"
Of all human beings
That leads to veracious pathway of "Paradise"
Through the dense darkness of "Paganism"

Demolishing the boundaries of "Tribes", "Castes" of racial
Forming, coagulating bubbles of "Peace"
Hiding precious gems of "Ritual", "Ethics"
As a river which ripples merrily

As a full bloomed, everlasting
Extremely pure
Ethereal flower
That continuously soothes human soul
With the fragrance of "Virtue"

G. Sriyangani

The poem is in praise of the Holy Quran and its universal application. In eloquent terms the poet describes that the Holy -Quran is decorated with the pearls of "love" and "beauty". The poet states that the faith has united people across frontiers of caste, creed and nationality. The poet uses idiom rich language to describe the glory of the Holy Quran.

It

"IT's unique..."
She said
"What's unique...?"
I didn't ask
Because....
I believed her...
I trusted her..
But....
She gave IT up
"What's unique...?"
I began to think
"Is IT love or is IT friendship?"
No....
I came to my verdict....
"Nothing in the world is unique..."

Kumudu KOPIYAWATTA

The narrator in this poem, the poet expresses that 'it' is unique and it can be love or friendship and it also can be nothing. At one time 'love 'has been 'unique' and at other times 'it' becomes either friendship or nothing. At the end, thoroughly disenchanted the narrator comes to the conclusion that there is nothing 'unique' in the world. In a simple diction, the poet brings out a profound message.

I'm just your loving kid ...

Oh! what an evil thing regret is..
Like a cloak of thorns, pricking the soul to bleed
Mocking the luck of a blinded man's deeds
Grave of dreams gifted to lie and sleep
Regret - what an evil thing it is...

Her glistening eyes whispered;
whispered the message of love
Woman of strength, woman of power
woman of care; woman I love
Mother, the one I love,
Weep not
Weep not
Sunken eyes and pale face, but
don't you look beautiful as yet?
Wipe your tears and smile to the wind
Son of yours will soon be freed ;
freed of grief and only grief..
for regret, guilt and shame will eternally ruin.
A noble being, you thought I was..
and yes I was I was I was
Until the devil's lightning struck my head
and I shook the blood of an innocent lad.
Your child has sinned.
I have sinned. I have sinned.

Now,
Behind the bars, I see no light.
I fear darkness, mother, I see no light.
Ticking of the clock, so sharp and so loud.
Minutes for my heart to beat so sound.

I met a girl once then
begging for cents.
I ignored mother, I ignored then.
They rushed in, the men in suits
and shaved my calf, for a vein in loops.
I close my eyes and pray with heart,
Will it hurt, mother?
I fear death.

When he screamed the pain of death aloud,
that rainy pitch black night,
thunder rolled over and drowned the sound,
Oh! I was not right!

I met a man once then
begging for cents,
I ignored mother, I ignored then.

Your face loomed beyond shadows
A hug I yearned, for, no more tomorrow!
I wanted to flee to you
like those days I did
when you stood by the school's gates
waving at your kid.
And, I see no Linda
beside you today,
wagging its tale and barking her way.
I threw her food
just like yesterday,
I should have fed her, mother,
i should have made her day...

Music, you wish, red, you love
but no red dress you have got...
Music visited not our place,
mother, I was not so great...
sigh!

Regrets are but evil fools!

They drag me out, and take off my boots,
I love that pair, you know I do,
I crawl down and grab it tight,
They kick me hard, mother, I see you cry.
You fall in your knees to touch me once,
I feel complete, mother, I want to hold on...
You hug me tight and lift me up,
I recall the school's day number one..
You hold me tight till I say goodbye
and lead me there-a warrior's ride!
Will it hurt mother?
I fear death,
But no bloody murderer fears death!
Alas! Im not a bloody murderer,
No I'm not,
but I have sinned, I have sinned, I have sinned.

I leave you two cents and an aged brown bun.
Lend the girl
Lend the man
Feed the dog.
I am no bloody murderer mother,
I am a kid.
Just your loving kid.

Inosha IJAZ

In this long narrative poem, the poet describes how evil the regret is. It seems that the narrator is regretting over what he has committed and confesses them before mother pleading her to consider him as her child. Though the narrator has sinned a lot, he fears death and therefore, argues that he is not a 'bloody murderer' who is not afraid of death. The poet has effectively used the narrative poem to describe the mentality of a person who has sinned. The underlying message seems to be that even the sinner needs mercy and kindness as mother would show to her kid.