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For an unknown man in Joo Chiat place (For Joel Toledol and Ankur Betageri)

 

You sit on a chair near the closed Internet caf‚
At Joo Chiat Place

A bundle of old Chinese newspapers
And a broken chair to lean your old head.

After having our discussions on poetry slams:
And post-colonial literature
We pass you searching for our famous food:
Fried Rice and vegetarian chicken; and occasional beer.

You still sit like the chair that comforts you.
Some of us take photographs during day time;
As memories of Singapore
Perhaps to supplement an academic paper
On alienness and helplessness of this paradise on Earth!

We pass you undisturbed
Talking of post-colonial theories
And how we can meet at the next literary festival!

On Thursday evening, I was seeking comfort by the pool
Nodding on a comfort chair
Longing for breeze to break the humidity walls
Dreaming of my frozen Perth in winter.
Two dear friends, visiting international writers;
One from the Philippines; and the other from India
Pass by breaking my meditation.

They are on a search for Tiger brand liquid;
To quench their thirst:
The eternal thirst of youth and they invite me;
But I wanted only a cup of Teh Tarik
And continue to count stars and passing jets.

After a while I search for my friends
On narrow streets of sleeping Joo Chait place
And find them in a Vietnamese caf‚; playing with words and
Quenching their thirst

Joel wants to recite a love poem in Tagalog;
And Ankur suggests a poem in Kannada.
Instead I recited a poem for Sri Lanka with an English rhyme
It turns into Instant Hindi and Tagalog

The Night is no younger
The Dawn is walking towards Joo Chiat place.

We walk into the Lotus Sanctuary
To heal our bodies leaving behind the minds
For another day of the Writer's Festival.

You still sit leaning to the same chair
Same corridor
Even the old Chinese newspapers sleep.

You make a deep scar; in my old heart

Why should I write a post-colonial poem! SUNIL GOVINNAGE 16 July 2010-07-29 Joo Chiat Place, Singapore Notes: Joo Chiat Place Teh Tarik -literally means 'Pulled Tea' in English Tagalog - The main language spoken in the Philippine Kannada- The language spoken in Karanataka State in India

In this narrative poem, the poet tries to juxtapose local reality with the highly globalised world. It was an evening gathering of poets, writers who took part in the Lit UP Emerging and Performers Festival were at a restaurant and bar. The literati, who supposed to be sensitive to their surrounding, actually missed out an old man sleeping on the pavement with an old chair to lean against.

The man had a bundle of old Chinese newspapers . The poets were merrily having food and drinking Tiger -brand beer while discussing poetry Slam and post colonial literature. The poet concludes the poem with a thought provoking statement: 'why should I write post-colonial poems !' . The poem is noted for its sincerity and representation of globalised milieu. - Indeewara Thilakarathne


Stories

Stories we tell
Are the stories we define

Stories we defined
Are the stories we lived

Stories we lived
Are the stories we dreamed

Stories we dreamed
Are the stories we hoped

Stories we hoped
Are the stories we believed Bertholamuze Nisansala Dharmasena

In this poem, the poet describes stories of diverse sorts. At times, they are the ones that we define and at another time, they are what we hope for . So ,the stories are part and parcel of our lives. The poet has used simple diction and short lines. -Indeewara


Elders' Home anthem

The silent tears
Roll down her cheeks
Revealing loudly
The fateful transition
From her own nest
To an 'alien cage'
Where silent tears now,
In chorus sing
The anthem of loneliness ! A. Jayalath Basnagoda

Though the poem is a short one, it is evocative and depicts the plight of the elders who have been taken away from their nests. With socio-economic changes, elders' home became a reality even in Asian countries where the traditional family structure has a place for elders. The last line of the poem sums up the sad plight of the elders who have to lead the rest of their lives in isolation. The poem is noticed for its brevity. - Indeewara


The Poson Day

Peace and freedom flow over the rock
where Mahinda Thero once set foot.
Violence and hatred have disappeared
where once King Piyatis went hunting.
The whole land's pious with devoted hearts,
The whole hearts are pure with holy words.

The day the hunted got its freedom,
the day the hunter bowed the truth,
the day that enlightened all hearts and minds,
paved the way for a blessed nation.

The day the dark clouds of falsehood
swept away by the wind of the truth,
the day all were bound together
for two thousand years and many more. by Ivan Kiriella

The poem is about the arrival of Arahant Mahinda thera in Sri Lanka on Poson full moon Poya day and the propagation of the doctrine of the Buddha. The poet narrates the significance of the day in the history of Sri Lanka. This is a narrative poem and the poet has used short lines for the narration. -Indeewara


Some of my secrets

I invented some small secrets of my life
That I will never tell anyone in this style
I found many words that never exist before
I inscribed my dreams inside those galore
No one knows rhyming patterns of my dreams
Never ever someone hears those screams
See the moon tenderly hidden
Clouds has signs of desire forbidden
That's my language naturally disappearing
Secrets remain till sun collapse by wearing Lalindra Perera

In this poem, the poet describes some of his secrets that he has suddenly discovered. The secrets are hidden in his mind and will not be described in words. The poets secrets will not be revealed until the end of the sun. -Indeewara


When the rain comes...

When the rain comes,
Thunder and lightening strikes,
Deafening the world around,
And lighting the path around,

When the rain comes,
Like a bird surviving through the air,
The lightening tore the sky apart,
Rain pattered down the roofs,

When the rain comes,
Many changes arise,
Like a silver tint,
In every cloud of doubt,

When the rain comes,
A bow too follows it,
Consequently for everyone's joy,
The rainbow crosses the sky. -Gimhani Upeksha Waduge

In this poem, the poet relates a profound philosophy of life through the commonplace scenario of rain. With the rain comes thunde and lightning but when it ceases, there comes a rainbow like the life which is full of ups and downs. The narration is woven around the metaphor of rain and the poet uses simple diction to deliver the message. -Indeewara

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