Wanni is a land so arid and dry,
It beckons me I don't know why.
In early Eighties it lured me back
To a school in Anura city to teach in my prime.
It was a lone trek from farm to school,
Back in the evening to the land I love.
Roads were dusty and the nights were dark
A farmer I was loving the ox and the yoke.

Alluring was she blooming in her late teens,
Coy were the looks, come hither eyes flicked.
Being the teacher I had no choice,
But be prudent and just be nice.
Youngsters many so lively and bright,
It was a pleasure to be some source of light.
Going down the lane later in life,
I am happy that I was with them some time.

There were two whose sight my eyes sought,
One was dark and very upright.
The other was a Twiggy with melody in her voice,
Had to cross the Rubicon not knowing what's in guise.
Ears were lulled but at what a price,
Melody in her voice I chose for my life.
With a lot of dreams -Do dreams come true,
I love the Dream let me sleep on.
,

Beautiful,luscious,lovely,vivacious,
Sweet,attractive,innocent,ch­arming.
Assorted together trying to tell of you,
Believe that's how I think of you.
So I wrote but no pens moved.
Waves of time rolled over the heart prints.
Gone it was, but was it gone.
Waves roll on but the sand stays firm.

So close and near was that someone dear,
Who hid her feelings from the day eyes met.
Unseen  it was, though the writing was clear,
Years two score, too late when seen.
Rejected her, no I rejected her not,
Did I hurt that's what hurts.
Forgiven or not alone I ponder,
I have lost the Princess who would have been a wonder.

Bee city stand was a lonely vigil,
Every morning until the bus came by.
But one day the cutest and the darkest ,
Met my eyes and gone were the sunsets.
Dark was she but her lips were rose buds,
But the best was that ,she could smile with her eyes.
That broke the ice and words flowed gently,
Slowly and steadily flowers blossomed.

I crossed the doorsteps and asked for her hand,
Her mother asked why my daughter is so dark.
Two years passed and so close we were,
Those sweet memories  are still so fresh and wild.
She was in a hurry to tie the knot,
I was not ready and asked for time.
One day she was there with a ring in her hand,
No longer was she mine why,why was not I bold.

Spas have sprung up near and far
With chirping sparrows eager to spar
With nearly half the fairer *** toiling abroad
At the beck of oil rich sheikhs
And others at home shunning your every move
That brings to life the resultant boredom
So whats up for the pent up and the rejected
They move up the steps to chirping sparrows.

Rejected yes so long neglected
Years been counting, now have lost the count
Moved up the steps to the nesting place
Seeking solace with a chirping bird
Smiling coyly they were all in a row
With long eye lashes and  rosy red lips
Selecting one was a arduous choice
Sparrows yearning to meet the hawk in guise.

The little sparrows why are they on offer
To earn a few rupees to fill their coffer
They give and take its no plunder
So why demean them who work for their supper
Sometimes at sparring do they get hurt
No sparring should always be a friendly flirt
Sparrow you are at a corner of my heart
The memory of that sweet ecstasy is going long last.

Some stories are they never to be told
They linger in you until you can not hold
They are still so fresh and naive
They keep rolling up wave after wave
Where to start up I am not sure
But once it flows it will be a cure
Throttled up, pent up they are all in a row
No hard feelings or remorse as they never did know

She was cute and lovely, and lived  next door
We were just kids and much we did not know
How tender and loving were what we talked
Sweet nothings , hand in hand we walked
In between the steps her lips moved
I love you the most so I heard
That was nice and so nice to remember
Why that Fairy loved me I still wonder.

Every Sunday mass was a must
Among the gathering my eyes used to rest
Always at a figure so slim and dark
In my prayers she was  not the last
It used to drive me to church without fail
Timid I was and prayers were no avail
Did our eyes ever meet , no I was in the rear
Certain she was unaware of her lovelorn heir.

When traveling daily weary long miles
Not one but many , but not even a smile
Curly hair ,freckled face, curves and dimples
Dark slim athletic and quick witted angels
My hair line receding and its dark color fading
Sometime down hill my mind goes tumbling
I am neither Happy nor not even Unhappy
No regrets or heart burns as they never did know.

Up the steps climbed a little girl
Followed by a young mother her her hands were full
The bus revved up but how could she cope
In both her hands were two tiny tots
The little mermaid, she  was fast to act
With a helping hand to get her mother up the steps
The other hand supporting her to stand up fast
A bag dangling from her shoulder made her arch.

With tolerant kindness they got seated
The babes started crying she knew the reason
How could she nurse with two in her hands
The mermaid was quick to lend her hand
The journey was ******* the bumpy road
With end in sight they got up fast
The mother followed by the little mermaid
The journey was over but let's think it over.

A femme fatale boasts of her million worth  Buick
Forget it think of the reality in sight
We know how hard it is for the not so might
Why don't we stand up to make it right
The ocean is large and all beings free
They don't hoard with gluttonous glee
Let us stand for a world
Where the mermaids will swim in glee.

In a Banana Republic in early nineties
A country ruled by a ruling Elite
When people asked for right to live
They let loose the hounds and people paid the price
A commanding officer of Estados Unidos
Doing his stint of service there
With gaping jaws awakened his voice
They are killing their own brothers why why why.

We toil day long to eke out a living
Trying to earn a rupee to buy some rice
So the skin rises up, so the bones do hide
So our children grow up and they pass their teens
They are duped to don the fatigues and the boots
Minds washed up so as not to reason why
When ordered they shoot to **** us why why why.

Now in my own country Sri Lanka
Year twenty twenty two the saga is the same
They are a lot fatter and thinner we are
East or West the story is the same
We choose them we are a democracy
They fleece and slay us are we not crazy
So the wheel turns the road is the same
Our children shoot to **** us why why why.