An eye for an eye

When one's killing is justified and glorified
With three thousand others,
When one in two with rhyming names
Orders and decides his counterpart dead,
The world falls into a lull;
Rights and sovereignty
Forgotten and unheard.
But in craggy mountain valleys,
Brains whirr into action
Behind heavy turbans
Seeking the relish of vengeance.
"An eye for an eye
Leaves all of us blind"

Nillasi Liyanage

The poem is against senseless spree of killings and how the humanity would be blinded by the glory of war. The poet has used sharp lines to convey the message. The poem is noted for its brevity.

Enlightenment

Neranjana chants rhythmically
Down the ages
From the peak of Ganges
Flourishing, nourishing and enriching
The dear land around
As if prince Siddhartha
Pacing his way slowly
From birth to birth
In culmination of his desirous aim
Searching for eternal truth
To save man from
The gruesome effect of evil

In a grove
Clustered with blossoming flowers
On shrubs and trees,
The buzz of bees
Often heard mustering nectar
The Blessed One sat
On the crystal throne
Evoking Seela, Samadhi, Pranna,

On mounting the back of 'Girimekala', the tusker
Maraputhra, in wrath, fury and anger
Led by battle fronts
Armed with 'Thomara' weapons
A war waged against the Blessed One
The perfection of the prince
As if the strength of the waves of oceans
Overflowed the three worlds
Bewildering Mara with his retinue
And the Supreme Being
Attained Enlightenment
On the full moon day of Vesak morn

The 2600, Dhamma Jayanthi dawned
And that must be adorned
With the flowers bloomed

On the day of Vesak full moon
By knitting them into fragrance
North, East, South, West
Breathe the air of peace and harmony
The holder of Dhamma sovereignty
Gauthama Buddha, the Compassionate One
Is perpetually venerated
By the Buddhist all over the world

Dharma Kaviraj

In this long narrative poem, the poet revisits the Englightenment of the Buddha, 2600 years ago. The poem is noted for it apt use of metaphors from Pali canon.

Lost in full moon night.....

Is this the same moon
I saw in my childhood
how could i say no..

saw it when I was in
the pearl of Indian ocean
as little child
seeing it now
in land of kangaroos
as a lonely man

Shine is the same
in that lonely moon
But I can't hear the sound
temple ghantara
Life has changed
it has filled with some emptiness
nothing to say
tears in eyes

Bird is flying
I can see
through half opened window
but it doesnt sing
the song
my heart wish to listen

dark clouds are coming
from far
it will hide the moon
reminds me
time to meet angel of sleep

Umesh Moramudali

The poem deals with the theme of diasporic existence and strong feelings for motherland. Lost cultural heritage is amply manifested by the poet in sharp lines.

Is this the love you're looking for?

Girl and boy,
were in last seat of a bus
touching each other
saying romantic words
don't care where it was
is this the love you looking for?

mobile phones in hand
miss calls and sms
dont care day or night
is his the love you're looking for?

fast moving fingers
on the friendly keyboard
chatting long hours through facebook
without seeing each other at least
is this the love you're looking for?

red roses or little letters
inside the books and bag
back of the classroom or
beside corridor in tuition class
is this the love you're looking for?

starts with friendship band
continues with a necklace or birthday card
roses and chocolates
through the reload to mobile phone
until affair breaks
is this the love you're looking for?

you can include all these to it
but it's something beyond
all these..
as it comes from deepest and dearest place
in the heart
and even the true love is rare
it can be found anywhere

Nisha karunanayake

The poem deals with the modern day perception of love which is confined to superficial expressions of feelings. The poet has convincingly built up the argument and has used down-to-earth language.

An ode to determination

Oh; determination, tenacious determination
You, the greatest opponent of hesitation
Living only in those brave and clever
Prompt to gain victories still zero hour

Acting always as the instigator
Help every inventor or innovator
To play their respective roles
And attend to the expected goals

You are the creator of heroes
And also the veritable victors
Never letting your devotees down
Except with a very reasonable ground

The Chinese Emperor's Great Wall
Emperor Shah Jahan's memorial hall
And king Kassapa's aesthetic Sigiri fort
With your prompting had all been wrought

Conquerors like Napolean and Julius Ceasar
Acquired power like any fast growing creeper
And entered history as unerasable figures
Due to your propping up vigours

The reputed ruler Abraham Lincoln
Though once a very common American
Became the President of both Americas
With you and passing all the bars

Relying on you as my only saviour
I too aspire your esteemed favour
To play my ambitious roles
And to achieve long cherished goals

Davidson Goonatilleke

The poet extols the determination which is a prominent feature of a successful person. The poet has used the technique of personification and simple diction.

Consternation

A tiny driblet of thought
Passes through the past
In my weary mind
And drip-dry quickly.

Bygone days are
Like a barn-burner
The barking dreams
Like bosoms
About to burn out.

All are eye sores
Which stand in front of me
Darkness invades the atmosphere
And I embrace the emptiness
Named by nostalgia.

Finally you remain
At the bottom of my heart
Like a hemistich.

- Jayasiri Perera

The poem is on the theme of nostalgia. The poet has used short lines and apt metaphors to depict a state of mind of a person who reminisce the past with mix feelings.

Desperate

I was a fish
thrown out of the water
I felt faintish
for a hour and a quarter

her face with pain
flash in my mind
my grief to the divine
"god be kind"

would she be fine
would it be a son
had her pain was mine
I ask for none

I heard the cry
of the new born child
when seconds go by
my mind went wild

"It is a girl"
came with a smile
"both are fine"
I was in divine

Haleen Ambegoda

The poet has captured the state of mind of a father waiting outside the labour room at a hospital. The poet has used apt language and metaphor and short lines to recreate tense moments when the father is expecting a child birth.

Being conscious

A bit unconscious
A bit depressed
make me feel
a bit unworthy.

Though psyche is
paining - being
a bit active causes
a bit humour.
Matching images
as well as probing onto it
result-
objects of grace and dignity

Dignifying astir crafts
commemorating pulp
of inward

sad effects require
a greater calmness and
moral patience - that
propel in gradual accumulation.

Always we have to be conscious prone people
Complex, intrigue

and difficult -
to realise
to believe
to acknowledge.

Modernity, though
that is going to be
old in the recent,
holds the routes
for everyone
to be
conscious.

Lyzahp Luthphy

The poem deals with a rather philosophical theme of being conscious. The poet has used a down to earth language and short and sharp lines.

The mirror

An eye witness
For the crime of
Self deception
For many a year.

An eye opener
For such deception
At the court of
Self realisation
For a few
In the end !

A.Jayalath Basnagoda

The poet has effectively rendered a novel interpretation to mirror which mirrors one's mind. The poem is noted for its economy of expression.