The mute Australian news channels

The wind outside is a concrete slab.
Even the distant Mute Sea is angry
frowning at us like a lamp post in the street.

We kept our doors and windows open
waiting for a drop of wind from the ocean
which has ignored us tonight.

We;
two old brown Aussies
with diasporic bonds with mother country
searched links on cricket pages
as Australian television is blind tonight,
to observe the Match
between Sri Lanka and England.

No coverage on Sri Lanka's quarter finals
with our Queen's Team.

The morning has arrived,
And there is no sign of wind
as the world outside is still mute,
No sounds of victory from Colombo.

Even our national weekly,
The Australian,
carried only an online report
with a blurred image of Dilshan
for thirty-two seconds.

In Australia,
we are not interested in Third World news
even if the mother country is involved!

Sunil Govinnage

This poem provides a perspective on First World media's treatment of Sri Lanka's win over quarter final cricket match at the 2011 World Cup, against England. The poet uses simple but insightful images and similes such as "wind outside is a concrete slab", "the distant Mute Sea is angry, frowning at us like a lamp post in the street", "Australian television is blind tonight," "the world outside is still mute", to convey his emotions about how Australian media has responded to a significant milestone of Sri Lanka's victory at the World Cup.

Choking

That thing you stirred in me
Is choking
Turning blue in face
Grasping for air
Panicking

Begging for some closure
With just one call may be
So we can 'kill' or let it 'live'
That thing within me
That you stirred

It deserves that much
Before it will emit flat waves
When hooked up to a monitor
Beeping rapidly
Crying for help!

Ananda P. Dasanayake

The poet has ably captured the sense of shock that comes along with tsunami. The blue wave would flatten everything with its journey into the land. The poem is noted for its brevity of expression.

Curse of a weeping heart....lamenting soul

You...My love...My King...
man unbound ....
in my spell.....
king of my heart.... king of Lions....
one who disturbed me.....
at the first sight.....
Here... I curse on You... You all......

You broke my heart......
senseless and cruel......
betrayed love......
for power and material......
unable to forget or forgive......
Here... I curse on You... You all......

My every tear drop......
bring you floods and waves......
cry of my weeping heart......
bring you storm and wind......
sad tunes of my lamenting soul......
bring you dark and fear......
Here... I curse on You... You all......

Burning day light......
nightmares to suffer......
wombs carry no life......
blood line of Lions no more......
Here... I curse on You... You all......

I'm the woman
with Charming eyes
Queen of Yakka's
Queen of the Land.....!

Ashani Ranasinghe

The long poem is about the queen Kuveni's curse on king Vijaya. Although the poet skilfully portrays the plight of the queen, her long lament seems a repetition. The poem would have been more effective if the poet had not introduced the narrator.

it's so......gorgeous

You came in nature
You were staying energetically
You are leaving generously
It's so...... beautiful loving Murali........

Rohini Ekanayake

The short poem is a tribute to Muttiah Muralitharan who retires from test cricket. However, the poem would have been more effective if the poet had used the words 'style' instead of the last word 'nature' in the first line and 'gracious' instead of the word 'generously' the last world in the third line.

Desperation

I
T'phoned you
Several times
In the lashing rain
And you asked me
Whether I am desperate
For cash
I willingly agreed
To your suggestion
I was equally desperate
For your long denied
Company

Ranjan M Amerasinghe

The poet has skilfully captured the state of mind of the narrator who is badly in need of the company of his love. It seems that both the narrator and his former love want to make up again and the financial offer comes as an excuse.

The tree by Diyawannawa

Cages of light within you at dawn,
Rays of blaze of you at dusk,
you make the busy road a green lawn,
How lovely and tranquil your boughs at dusk.

Dust and tar , ashes of city,
you shade the rich and poor pretty,
Praise God for his pity,
Tree by Diyawannawa,the gem of city.

Tharindu Jayamanna

The poet skilfully describes the sheer beauty of a tree by Diyawanawa. It is like a gem in the city. It is so wonderful a creation that the poet thinks that the tree is a God given gift. The poem is noted for its brevity.

.........Summer blossoms.........

What a lovely sight she was,
Pure smooth petals, well shaped,
Oscillating on the green lavish bush,
Frail but a work divine......

Adorned with fairy dusts of the rainbow,
Mildly spreads an aromatic fragrant,
So exquisite, mesmerizing, pleases the eye,
Miraculous natures, creativite designs...

Dilini A. Goonewardene

The poem is about the beauty of summer. It is the season in which the flowers blossom. Though the former stanza sums up the beauty of summer, the latter seems to be an additional description or a repetition. The poem would have been more effective if the poet had writte statement-like lines such as the two last lines of the poem. The poem is noted for economy of expression and use of apt metaphors.

A mermaid laments......

Do you have to do this, every ten years;
Appear so sweet and then disappear?
A tantalizing moment-I have you near,
I reach and you're gone-I'm left with a tear.
I really hate regrets in life,
But with you, got a bunch already.
For loving and losing and finding you back
Only to lose you in a finger snap!
For sewing sweet dreams from the nights so black,
Like the little mermaid who couldn't get you back.
Up and away beyond the sea,
The prince has lost the memory seed.
It's my curse and I have lost you-
Cursed with no words, I can't speak to you.
Tragedies, legends and myths have come true,
I've not lost a ring, but you've forgotten me true.
I knew fairy-tales don't come out true,
"Happily-ever-after", an erased line of truth.
But really friend, what happened to you,
Didn't you hear the sound of a heart breaking for you?

G.C.Priyangwada Perera

The poem is about a lament of a girl who lost tracks of her lover. The narrator compares herself to a mermaid. The poet has used a down-to-earth diction with appropriate metaphors and several allusions were made to the legends. The ending of the poem is effective.

Beneath the spreading trees

I hear the distant hills beckon
The tender call of blissful joy,
Precious gift of nature's love,
And freedom to roam the gentle wilds
The joy to love the wandering beasts
In the green of virgin woods....

Gentle and warm through summer spells
Vibrant colours in splashing glow
Red and gold when spring appears
The scattered leaves reveal
The scent of blooms in their myriad hue
Fills the air to reach the sky...

Carpets of flowers 'neath the glades
Springs lovely mysteries
The bubbling brooks winding the way
Casting sprays of dew
The music of birds rend the air
Amidst the trees in search of nests...

Trees that stand like sentinels
Reaching the sky
The might and the strength in living roots
Cares the good earth's soil
Lush green they sprout
Spread forth in shading leaves....

They link the sky to the earth
When million blossoms unfurl
Arabesque petals
Fragrant aroma in whisps of spray
Refresh the air
As environment comes alive...

And I yearn to journey through
As the marvels fills my naked heart
Trees yield their gentle call
In their bough to rest my weary brow
The joy to roam and live with beasts
Beneath the spreading trees ....

Gwen Herath

The poem is about the indiscernible beauty of nature. The poet skilfully portrays the sublime beauty of the forest with an eye for details. The poem is noted for its rich language and appropriate metaphors.