Poetry

By

Indunil Madhusankha

We Don’t Want to Treat You as a Terrorist

(A conversation between a terrorist and a brigadier)

A camouflaged lass sleeping on a bed in the camp

laboriously raised her head,

taking a peek at the soldiers around her

“I’m innocent, please don’t kill me”

She begged in a stuttering voice

while her lips were shivering in fear

Her eyes gleamed with hope

Blood curdling hands gave her untold torment

“How are you feeling now?”

The mental agony soon disappeared

as the Brigadier’s healing words

touched her ears

Her face blossomed like a flower

Despite the bleeding pain,

with streaming tears,

she revealed the horrifying tragedy

replete with woeful memories, smudged dreams,

heinous murders and torturous whips

How her parents suffered till their last breath

How the devouring devils bundled her into the truck

while her mother,

fallen on the yard,

thrashed the ground with her hands in sorrow

and how the terrifying burst of her scream

blasted the area while Palmyra leaves

crackled in anger

The Brigadier held her hand and attended

to the wounds with some wool

She heaved a sigh of satisfaction

and blessed the gathering of soldiers

with a shining smile on her face

“May the God’s protection be with you!”

Then the Brigadier replied,

“We don’t want to treat you as a terrorist now,

though you were one in the very morning today.”

The Sentinels of the Nation

(Composed in honour of all the undaunted soldiers who toiled tirelessly for years to defend our nation from the clutches of terrorism)  

Nurtured in a prestigious land of unrivalled kings

at the bosom of Lanka Matha

The indestructible union of lion-like soldiers

The grand pillars of strength

rescuing the nation from torture

They give many a vent to a renaissance on the island

with the pious intention of lighting the lamp of peace

Striving for the noble merit of life-saving

Passing numerous sleepless nights

with the unendurable flames of hunger

they toil to keep the torch of hope alive

their uncomplaining patience and

unquestioning obedience

second to none other

Despite the burning desire,

just to fly into their nests,

they continue the chain of enthralling victories

holding in high esteem the virtue of selflessness

They are the embodiment of Herculean courage

and the reincarnation of the heroic giants

of the King Dutugemunu

Our gallant soldiers

The dauntless sons of the nation

dazzle supreme in the Galaxy of humans

earning salutation from all Sri Lankans

on shores and beyond the shores.

Glossary        

Dutugemunu      A Sinhalese king of Sri Lanka who reigned from 101 BC to 137 BC. His army consisted of ten giant warriors who played a central role in his wars.

Matha     Mother. This is a term commonly used to refer to a thing, place or a lady for whom you have a deep sense of adoration or veneration.

Indunil Madhusankha

Indunil Madhusankha is currently an undergraduate in the Faculty of Science of the University of Colombo. Even though he is academically involved with the subjects of Mathematics and Statistics, he also pursues a successful career in the field of English language and literature as a budding young researcher, reviewer, poet and content writer. Basically, he explores the miscellaneous complications of the human existence through his poetry by focussing on the burning issues in contemporary society. Besides that, Indunil’s works have been featured in several international anthologies and journals.