EMPTINESS

Emptiness

‘twas commitment

that brought them together.

Yet, in his eyes

she never was there.

He strayed looking for

consolation.

It never came to bear.

He lived a life of deception,

filled with emptiness and nigh

He will die in this situation,

for there’s nothing to cry

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 2007

CRICKETER's ODE

The Cricketers Ode

Every run you make,

Every ton that's great,

Every ball you scrape,

Every catch you take,

I'll be watching you

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 2007

GRAMPS

Grandpa

I still remember,

Grandpa taking me by

the hand and telling me tales;

in that rickshaw that moved on

two weary feet of an old man who

was so strong; to run along the streets

of Colombo through dust, rain and storms;

contributing to the seeds of my learning, that was

to grow into whatever I have given to life thus far; that

keeps me motivated, pushing me forward, achieving, on and on.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 2007  

FROLIC

Frolic

Running,

hand in hand

by the open sea;

cold froth splashing

across tired and weary feet,

granules of warm white burning sand,

struggling to stick, in between tired dusty toes;

thick and warm salt concoction envelopes the evening sun,

wafting sourly through open nostrils seeping into hungry lungs;

with sweet scented dreams of a lifetime of youth and expectations,

lingering within thoughts of fulfillment immersed in gusts of madness.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 2007  

JOURNEY

The Journey

I see trees

filled with green

swaying in the wind;

like people on the move

arms waving sadly in goodbyes,

telling me a story that someday soon

the journey will end with that final stop;

at that station that seemed so far, far away

only a few decades ago, when we laughed and romped

across those asphalted lanes back home on rickety bicycles,

wielding that cricket ball crashing through someone’s glass pane.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 2007  

RAIN

Rain

The rain

comes pouring

down upon the roof,

rapping like hip-hop music

mingled with the background of

flowing water running through the

yard, making multitudes of drains along;

while we fold paper boats and send them sailing,

soaking in the beauty of a cold wet morning outside,

while Mum screams out to everyone to get inside the house

and dry up before she yells for Grandpa and brings the roof down.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 2007  

MANGO TREE

The Mango Tree

The mango tree, she

stands, so proud and tall;

reaching her branches out afar,

tempting our tongues with succulence,

needling us to pick up that stick and belt it

upwards reaching for the sky and bringing her offspring

down to earth where everyone scrambles to pick up and chew,

enjoying the fruit of this bounteous earth; she asks for nothing in

return for the gifts she chooses to give; us hungry young hearts and

greedy gastronomy; while she blesses the rain for her daily sustenance

and spreads out the shade for our own existence; do we thank her at least?

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 2007