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Friday 31 January 2014

Patience



Pic by Tharindu Amunugama


Waiting is of many kinds
it is a platform vigil
for life-trains that may arrive
or have passed in eye-blink moment;
waiting is a lover’s tryst
a mendicant’s wish
and news made stale by night wind
and neglect;
waiting is a short text message
between life and life
a train that was missed
and a train going in the wrong direction,
waiting is an end game of hope
in hopeless longing
for the beloved
misnamed or mis-taken.

Thursday 30 January 2014

Mirror walks


Pic by Tharindu Amunugama



Mirrors are walls
they stop
they force reflection
and those who come
they stay, stare and turn around
as though glass was armed
with cut-glass prohibition;
they don’t invite,
don’t say ‘walk in’
don’t say ‘explore’
don’t say ehi-passiko
but this water-glass  landscape
of grass and grass-reverse
of branches that graze
or dip into water
and upturned hills,
like an embroidery-reverse
disarms;
we could drown in our mirror-waters
we could suffer cut-glass scrutiny:
there are no shortcuts to the other side. 

Wednesday 29 January 2014

Bodhisatva Yield





Is it the Buddha that is drawn
from wood and learned-image,
the Gauthama of long ago
the prince turned mendicant
revered beyond veneration
or the name and notion
passed from century to century
in the gather and discard
of perception?

And is the yield
of buddhalambana joy
born of crafting skill
or the imperfection of seer?

Where lies Buddhatva,
in choice of subject
chiseling skill
the chisel, the wood
the eye or finger
the weight unleashed
the strength held back?

Is it a bird, an elephant
that is re-birthed
or just the artist
in bodhisatva yearning?