To my Sudu Akki

I was literally bursting with joy,
To give you the happy news,
To tell you soonest,
That I had a poem of mine,
Published,
In the newspaper.
As soon as I broke the news,
You beamed,
With undisguised delight.
Great! Do bring it tomorrow, will you?
I was literally amazed,
At your child-like impatience,
At that wonderful fusion,
Of insistence and affection.
'If only you were my own Sudu Akki!'
I made the same wish,
That I had made many times before.

When I handed over it you the next day,
You gave me a triumphant grin,
And took it home to show your mom.
I deeply marvelled,
At the vicarious pleasure,
That you were enjoying.

Today while I look back,
On this little but beautiful incident,
I feel immensely grateful to you,
For your boundless affection,
And doubt if I will ever meet a better friend than you,
For I always think,
You are the dearest of all my friends.

A Yell in Retrospect

For Gowri Pathiraja

“….If you are the wind`s leap,

I am the buried fire….”

Octavio Paz-Motion

I stared, frozen with terror,

As she spewed out,

A terrible torrent of invective,

And marked ignorant terror,

On the onlookers` faces.

Burning with rage,

At the public humiliation,

I walked off, I remember,

With a spiteful apology,

Muttered through the gritted teeth,

‘I`m sorry to have troubled you here!’

Swearing to myself,

Never to forgive her,

Never to look at her again.

But now your yell lies on my memory,

Thin, feeble, almost dying

Sans its inflammable venom:

The thickest cloud,

Can only obscure the Sun;

Only for a moment.