Death notice

Every character scripted in
the kings, queens and ghosts
the jester and the prince
the pothe gura and the purohitha
clothed in wit and meaning
comment and critique
armed with song and slogan
literary allusion
and flipping of text,
they were there
on the street
in the street
with and for the street:
and every line and lyric
gesture and glance
and all the props and make-up
that turned player into audience
made street stage and stage street
float like ghosts behind a king and citizen
teacher and student
it is the unscripted theatre moment
the mortalizing of the immortal,
the flight of he who never would flee,
the cremation of he who would not die.

Written upon the death of Gamini Haththotuwegama. Malinda Seneviratne

In this poem which was written upon the death of dramatist, writer and cultural intellectual Gamini Haththotuwegama, the poet explains many facets of the personality. Gamini Haththotuwegama pioneered the street drama in Sri Lanka as aptly described by the poet "made street stage and Stage Street".

Haththotuwegama was a formidable cultural critic and intellectual of rare distinction whose knowledge spread out into many branches of disciplines. His death marks a death of an era particularly in Sinhala theatre. The poet uses effective and short lines and metaphors taken directly out of fields in which Haththotuwegama excelled. -Indeewara Thilakarathne

Transparent

Tayeb studies literature at Tel Aviv University.
He has a satchel with a grammar book and an essay
On Mahmoud Darwish.
The bag's transparent because this summer with a different bag,
In the x-ray eyes of every cop, he'd be marked
As hiding a bomb.
"Even this," says his father, "Inshallah,
Will soon wash off," and he hangs the laundry
Cleaned from stains of disgrace on Time's clothesline. But
Life still needs to go to the market, and Tayeb goes
With it to buy olives in spoken Arabic
And to write poems about it in literary Arabic.
For the time being, Tayeb has nothing to hide. The skin
Stretched on his arms doesn't conceal bundles
Of muscles, the flexible cartilage between bones
And the blood vessels, within which the swimmer of despair
Can swim in a frenzy towards the platform,
Upon which the lifeguards hung
A black flag. Summer 2001 The Milk Underground Ronny Someck Translated by: Robert Manaster & Hana Inbar

In this poem the poet explains the futility of body search which has become part and parcel of life in conflict-ridden areas. Sri Lankans also had similar experiences during the height of trouble. However, Tayeb, a student of literature, takes a transparent bag with him. He has painted on it "Hiding a bomb".

Apparently the bomb is nothing but the book of poetry by Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish. Cops want ever detect it. The poet drives the idea home that ideologies are far more powerful than the exploding bombs. The poet uses simple diction and metaphors drawn from everyday life. - Indeewara

The wooden statue

When thunder flashed
Raindrops smashed the door
Nocturnal snakes
Hissed in the eastern sky
With gleaming eyes

The artist busy sculpting
A wooden statue
Two hands carved
Fingers displayed finely
One eye incomplete
The other, hardly

The candle lit room
Seemed small, weary and
Choked by the wet dogs
Bickering outside
Past midnight
He entered the room
After nine pegs
The world was still moving

The statue opened its eyes
Then spoke
'If you know yourself
You will know
Why you were born'

The artist stood
His full height
Thought he was the statue
Kept one hand to his chest
Thurst the other outwards and
Said
'I don't exist' Shireen Senadhira

In the poem, the poet eloquently depicts the state of mind of an artist. The artists sculpture a wooden statue in rainy night with heavy loads of lightening and thunder. He is totally engrossed in his task completely unaware of the environment.

Then he feels that statue speaks to him and he answers that he does not exist. The poet uses rather crisp lines which are very effective to drive home the message. The poem is marked for its rich imagination and description of the environment which is sychoronised with the mindset of the artist. - Indeewara

A wonderland in winter

Wearing my hat and mask
Walking to school
My, it's a difficult task
But it's mother nature's rule !

Slipping on ice
Carrot shaped icicles
Snow falling from the skies
Never eating popsicles

Winter is a horrible season
Many people say
But I get an unhappy feeling
When Spring comes in May

Just look around
Ice sparkling in the sun
Snow all over the ground
And children having fun

And best of all it's Christmas!
A time of gladness when
Flakes of snow - like cream puffs
Fall from out the sky!

I know it's cold and Winter can be bold
But look on the bright side and see all
The beauty of Winter
Truly a winter wonderland! Jinsun Park

The poet in simple terms describes rather the indescribable beauty of winter despite its piercing cold. Though it is cold, winter has its own beauty particularly during Christmas. The poet feels unhappy when spring arrives albeit people say that winter is a horrible season. In this narrative poem, the poet with a remarkable ease, perceives incomparable wonders in winter. The poet uses a simple diction and the poem is marked for its easy flow of thoughts. -Indeewara Thilakarathne

What I'll be ...

I'll turn out as the night
When you are the moon light
I'll be a sky on a moonless day
When you are the darkness.

I'll be the blooming lotus
When you are a lake
I'll be the soil
When the water dries up
And you be the earth.

I'll be the letters
When you are a book
When the pages are worn out
and faded away
you be the quill
I'll be the small point of it.

I'll be the wick
When you are a lamp
When the oil dries up
You be the life
I'll be a love........... Nimesha Ruchirani Peiris

The poet eloquently expresses the profound love for the person who won the heart. Apparently the passionate lover wants always to be associated with the lover. If he becomes the moonlight, she wants to be the night. She will be the moonless sky when he becomes the darkness. In the last line, the poet sums up the strong feelings when states 'you be the life.. I will be a love...". The poet uses metaphors to drive home the profound love for the loved one. - Indeewara Thilakarathne

Perfect love

When the sun is veiled by clouds
And the evening glow bathes our window pane
In glorious hues of pink and gold
When naught stirs in the trees; no wind or gentle breeze
We sit and contemplate together; how lucky to have loved and won
How blessed to have found each other
Come fly with me over distant valleys, sweeping deserts; through glowing skies
Hold my hand and draw me close, as we soar high among the stars
We shall walk through life together
You and I were meant to be; first love, true for eternity

Shooting stars for granting wishes
Rainbow arcs, walks in parks; sweet whispers and butterfly kisses
Raindrops on glistening streets, umbrellas to snuggle beneath
Escapades to far off lands, ice cream cones and magical dreams
Stolen moments, timeless memories, perfect love . . . . Su Ruth

Here the poet evocatively describes the sheer bliss of 'perfect love' comparing it with the changes in the environment. It is the first love and the couple feels they are meant for each other. They have made a solemn vow to walk through the life together. Poem is marked for its simplicity in expression. - Indeewara

A sweet dream

A place where twilight falls,
At dusk and at dawn,
And rainbows cross the sky,
Together when the sun and rain dance.

Where birds will twitter dawn,
Where butterflies fly at day,
Where dusk comes flying,
As the birds go to the nests.

A place of nature and beauty,
A place with natural trees,
A place where animals move freely,
And won't be harmed by man.

Where silvery moon beams gleam,
Through the dark midnight,
Where stars twinkle,
Like playing hide and seek.

A place where clouds came floating by,
Like dreams that come and go,
It's a sweet dream,
Which I hope will be true. Gimhani Upeksha Waduge

The poem is a hope for a peaceful and beautiful world teeming with pristine nature. It is a world full of natural beauty with no environment pollution. The sky is lit up with the gleaming silver moon and stars twinkle. It is a place where clouds float like dreams come and go. The poet hopes for a world which is beautiful and charm. The idea is expressed in series of rather magnificent description of natural phenomena like the rainbow, starry night, moon beaming and clouds floating which are in a way symbolised the poet's ideas for a better world. - Indeewara