Truth

Not in the gaze
of half-closed eyes
not in postural balance
not in symmetry
not in craft or crafting
the collapse of dimensions
not in any of these
and other ephemerality
and yet embedded
in the ways of clarity
the path to which
The Word describes.




[Inspired by the line drawings of Gamini Abeykoon]

These other children

One mother
many children
each lined and colored
by karmic DNA
of the natural kind
to have and hold
to open and close
delight and sadden
flower and perish --
a passing glance
at sun, rain and wind
and then
in maternal embrace
recline.

Parallel Lives

You and I
are colored,
I as white
and you as black
one an embroidery
and the other its reverse
my world and yours
one made
one making
one asserted
the other not
and so we get to
‘Squeaky Clean’
one to clear
one to walk
each to his or her
life corner
and life ways
by the other
unneeded
apparently.

(Ad)dresses

Elegance is a dress
ornament and frill
the enhancement by context
rubbing off from promiximity;
elegance can stand on its own
unclothed and nondescript
regardless of backdrop
of background
in solemn affirmations
and polite decline.





Inspired by the line drawings of Gamini Abeykoon

Un-capturing

In the best-dressed post

in unpretentious as-is
in incredulity and knowing
the garmenting by time
and the coverings of propriety
in the before and after of pose
shadows move from West to East
on either side of nothing.




Inspired by the line drawings of Gamini Abeykoon

Sizes

A blade of grass for the ant
Shrub for a blade of grass
Canopy for shrub
Sky for all;
we are giants all of us
ants too
shaded and shading
in endowment
in acquiring
and shedding
designed or accidental.




Inspired by the line drawings of Gamini Abeykoon

Salutations

Of course there’s fervor
pride in duty
sense of nation
history and moment,
of course there’s order
the rank-file thing
and the saying of ‘do this’
and the doing-that,
of course there’s appreciation
gratitude for freedoms won
boundaries defended,
of course they are ours
and we are theirs
and of course
under flag and
in the unison of song
the requirement of parade
in the custom of celebration
there is defense of indefensible
the weight of carrying out
orders that don’t unfurl
from flag or chorus
and of course
somewhere between lines
there’s the out of line
of independence-residue
leftovers
left un-celebrated,
of course.




Inspired by the poetry of Chandana Wijesinghe