Poetry

By

Indunil Madhusankha

Ode to Physics

A discipline of subtle beauty and influential efflorescence

Unmistakable part and parcel of the natural sciences

Supporting the humans to emerge victorious in diverse areas

Coherently elucidating the laws governing the entire universe

Replete with efficacious experiments and convincing theorems

Thus blending in chemistry with the queen of sciences, Mathematics

A discipline of vast research and astonishing discoveries

Rich with an enormous corpus of literature ever-flourishing

The sweetest fruit of the ardent immersion and perseverance

Of a gold-inscribed pantheon of lionized geniuses like Newton

A multiplicity of formulae, equations, simulations, and observations

Enhancing the immense zeal and curiosity of the countless practitioners

A discipline of intense relevance and meticulous craftsmanship

Where are the songs recited in appraisal of your eminence?

Where are the accounts penned in celebration of your glory?

Oh, the discipline of Physics!

May you excel at the zenith of scholarship!

Putting back the frontiers of knowledge

Oh, Hail Physics!

Thou art the smartest of all sciences!

A Poem for a Great Leader

The Great Sandy River

 stretching out her majestically lengthening

 frothy body

 just as a bride arrayed in a foam like white veil

 to be enfolded by her groom—condys coloured seas

 Inside her body,

 gems, marvelously pre-eminent gems

 hidden amidst sands

 Our people have found another gem

 Its shrill brilliance bursts like stars

 from its many sides

 The new gem was attached to the crown of the country

 A truly bold lion-like son of our esteemed lion race

 The real identity of the country

 Rebirth of the king Parakramabahu the First,

 is another name

 applicable to him

 Let’s eat kevun and kiribath

 Let’s conduct peraheras

 with drummers and caparisoned elephants

 shouting loud “sadhu” cries

 Our people say,

 perhaps you hate daydreaming

 for you do as you say

 Now they beam with exhilaration

 A9 route pulsating with life

 And Yal Devi drawing herself ahead

 like a long warm on a mango

 They have much foods now

 and even books and tablets

 And are in possession of the breeze

 cooling, joyous and gripping

 They are thrilled to bits

 Your eyes are not blind

 Your ears are not deaf

 We are badly in need of such priceless gems

 Not blind men who kick on the gems

Glossary

Condys        Potassium Permanganate

Kevun     Oil-cake. It is a traditional Sri Lankan sweetmeat made of rice and sugar and is served particularly in festive occasions. The village folk are used to consider it as a taboo to cook or eat kevun in sorrowful situations especially when there is a funeral.

Kiribath     Milk-rice. It is a traditional Sri Lankan dish which is considered as a must for any auspicious moment.

Parakramabahu the First    The king of Sri Lanka from 1153 to 1186. He is widely known as King Parakramabahu the Great and is also regarded as a god by the people for his greatness.

Perahera    A spectacular and colourful religious procession of cultural importance comprising a large number of various dancers and drummers

Sadhu    An expression very common among the Sri Lankan Buddhist people which is uttered during religious chores to convey their reverence for the religion

Yal Devi      A major intercity express train in Sri Lanka which connects the city of Colombo with the Northern cities of Jaffna and Kankasanthurai

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.