Soap Opera

When the clock marks eight, their faces turn bright,
And before the magic-box they all gather.
The remote in his hand like a magic wand,
Son looks at himself, the father and the mother.

There comes the daughter, with a glassful of water,
Looking for a cozy chair to sit.
The seats are all reserved, as the early comers deserved,
Sitting in the parlour well lit.

The ladies look glamorous, but never too amorous,
Excellent Sinhala do they speak.
Well-dressed gentlemen, wealthy businessmen,
Of corruption they rarely reek.

Being so entranced, off the screen they rarely glance,
Too engrossed in the drama are all.
From the lovely screen they so badly want to glean,
The words of wisdom that fall.

'The half-hour past, the names of the cast,
Now on the screen appear.
Ecstatic are the children, delighted are the parents,
Even the cat looks happier.

The mother looks so serious while the daughter is curious,
They discuss what will happen tomorrow.
'The trailer is too short', the son voices his thought,
And they all now look forward to the morrow.