Equipoise

Every rose in bloom has its thorn
For every right there will be wrong

As silence acquiescence there's blaring scorn
Those born to life in time will be worn

In laughter's glory sad tears roam
For every pleasure there's pain forlorn
As rays of sunshine there'll be black storms
For all life's joy there's sadness to mourn

Where there's victory there's certain defeat
Beneath feats of honour disgrace does sleep
On every truth grim lies silently feast
For all life's hopes are oft slain by grief

For every rainbow will surely fade
In vast blue skies dark clouds are made
Behind sweet summer harsh winters do chase
In true love's bliss there looms bitter hate


© Kamalika Jayathilaka 2014

www.wallpaperseek.com 

Home

Where birdsong beckon a new day's dawn

And faint naked footsteps stain unkempt floors

When old pots rattle and tea mugs are poured

Dust laden windows but languidly yawn

Where sweet sticky rice and jaggery tastes divine

Bananas overripe entice passing flies

A cacophony of stories and laughter combine

With more sips of tea over the Sunday Times

Where grey clouds cry their rain heavy eyes

And monsoon's flames light the bellowing skies

Where mute birds wait in the jasmine vines

As dark miry waters down tired hills decline

Hissing oil in pans and smoke fired eyes

Ants in the treacle and treats stacked in piles

Love served with smiles and awakened old ties

It's where my heart lies this sweet home of mine


© Kamalika Jayathilaka 2014

Forever More

When did we stop holding hands like before
Why don't you look in my eyes anymore
Where did our carefree laughter go
Who have we become, and why ever so

You and I run this race each day
To feed the kids there's bills to pay
A struggle with chores and battling 'today'
But why did we lose each other halfway

Wrinkles and pains our hair's turned grey
You stoop a little do I wither away
There's so much silence with little to say
Responsibility's storm blew our sunshine away

Soon comes a day for our kids to leave
In a house full of memories, we'll silently weep
An empty nest and each other to please
With time in our hands and time to ease

Then will you hold my hand like before
Bring me flowers, sing love songs once more
Fill this hollow with true love's glow
Look in my eyes and say 'forever more'


© Kamalika Jayathilaka

By Vickie Wade (www. etsy.com) 

Tunes on the Streets

Bobby Day and his mongrel Minnie

Sat on the sidewalk to earn a penny

A good ol' song, a tin can for money

For worldly possessions he had not many

Ellie played guitar at the next street corner

No one stopped they all rushed past her

Fingers on string they strummed even faster

For a cup of tea to make herself warmer

The ladies and gents of wealth and gentry

Whisking past in a race to plenty

High street glamour and all its pleasantry

To this side of life they had no entry

Dry bread for lunch more scraps for supper

At McDonald's they watched the young ones cluster

The fat, the starch the sugar then the doctor

Diabetes for them and for others just hunger

A hundred wars, disasters world over

Recession they say is the latest tormentor

Two pounds for a child and three for a tiger

But the tunes on the streets go on for longer

© Kamalika Jayathilaka

Art by Geoffrey Palmer (www.innsbruckacademy.org)

Cessation

The clay oil-lamps and their dull amber flames

Danced like her gushing fierce thoughts of shame

The bleeding black oil stained the soft gritty sands

With beads of sour sorrow that soaked her hands

The wrinkled old palms hunched together in prayer

With her sad glassy eyes on the blue dusky air  

Uttering of suffering of relentless despair 

Of incessant past samsaric burdens to bear

A lone frog croaked to the drone of the crickets

The street dogs howled to the full mooned heavens

The forgotten young waif got a rice-grain pittance

As the saffron robed monk sang the way to cessation      

Her slow strides crunched the dry leaves like music

As the blade at her head tore her hair like magic

Ending lifetimes of suffering crushing and karmic  

She drifted to a light afar from all tragic 

© Kamalika Jayathilaka

Ode to My Love

Morning glory when I open my eyes

Your warm smile it sweetens my life

Your rainbows of laughter they carry me away

From rain clouds of sadness that darken my day

Yesterday, today and tomorrows of mine

You came and made music so soft and so kind

With colours of sunset and as sweet as red wine

You filled my whole life with your love so refined

You by my side on this journey through time

Your hand in mine any mountain we could climb

Your words of wisdom, your strength so divine

Leave me with so many reasons to smile

My glimmer of sunshine from dawn to dark

Sweet golden moonlight that kisses my heart

The gleaming North Star in my vast vacant skies

My whole universe you are I need not tell lies

© Kamalika Jayathilaka