They Came
They came
On foot
On shoulders
In arms
In rickety boats
In a mini-Dunkirk.
In ones
In families -
what remains of -
In groups
thousands
Limping they came
Running they came
Bleeding they came
Dying they came
Alive they came
Crying they came
Laughing they came
Past the barriers
Past the mounds
Who succumbed
For whose well being?
Questioning they came
Uncowed by the breeches
Aimed at their feet.
Through the breaches
Bunds built by hands
The children, the aged, the sick
The hapless expendables
To preserve a deception.
Through scorching sand
Through sticky mud pits
Chilly waters neck deep
Running the gauntlet
Out of the cesspit.
I watched with tearful eyes
They come in
To the arms of a caring Nation.
What the visitors say...
One of the poems I recently wrote has been published in Colombo in The Sunday Times.
You can read it here: http://sundaytimes.lk/090510/Plus/sundaytimesplus_05.html
- FJS
Great......
We are proud of you.
- Padma
hi Francis
Very deep!!!
I think your poem can be applied to so many refugees in several world nations.
Do you know which "nations" can not go anywhere?
The hundreds of animal species that are disappearing in this world.
I often recall the words of agent Smit in the matrix that we-humans- are like a menace we do bot rest until we drain the resources around us including members of our own species.
- Patricia
Superb, very nice, keep writing
Best wishes,Happy Vesak
Thurunuwan Saranai
- Hema Kumarasinghe
Dear Sena,
The poem is great, fits the occasion. I enjoyed reading it.
With kind regards and best wishes to you, Shyami, Savani, Harin and Jemima,
- Manik
Hi FJ
I read it with
.
Very good
Love
- Aruna
Hi F,
I got an emergency fix for a dead tooth nerve that was causing trouble and today I feel alive again! Only need to catch up on a few days of lost time.
Very nice poem BUT it needs a little more discipline and a few grammatical corrections. Make it 15% shorter.
- Michel
Thanks FJ
I love it..
- Ron
Time is NOT the essence. Poetry is the essence. Sending out a first draught on the spur
of the moment is not a good policy. I thought that was clear to you by now. Why be in
such a hurry?
Whether this could join a bundle???
You're entirely free to do as you think fit.
- Michel
I didn't have a look at my e-mail box yesterday.
I read that e-mail a few minutes ago... congratulations!!!
A pity you didn't make any corrections after all.
(for example the grammatical/syntactical totally meaningless "what remains of",
switching from past tense to present tense "they come in" etc.)
Beware. You can get away with that in SL but not in England.
- Michel
Very impressive, Sena Bappa
- Nimalee Perera
Its great you are doing a lot. Now we all must look after these people -our brothers and sisters.
All the best!
Lucky
- Lakshman Abeusekera
Hi Sharpo,
Wow that is so nice. Can I send it to a friend who works for a paper to get it published?
He is so poetic!
- Dileeka
Lieve Shyami en Frances,
Daar ben ik even stil van. Ik weet natuurlijk dat het jullie hart raakt dat er oorlog is in
jullie land. Maar ik lees nu hoe diep dat Frances raakt en ja, het is om stil van te worden.
Ik hoop dat er voor Sri Lanka ook weer andere tijden mogen aanbreken. Dat wij mensen de weg
naar de vrede in slaan, in steeds grotere getalen niet meer mee willen werken aan oorlog en
het verbreiden van pijn en verdriet.
Dankje wel voor het gedicht,
- Carla
Dear Dileeka,
Thank you very much for your kind comments. Of course you can send it your friend and get it
published. I certainly like to share it with as many as possible. I wrote it in such a
hurry and sent it out immediately as I was worried that the exodus will be over very soon.
So, I see there are a few things I like to edit in it. The edited version will be with you
during Friday.
Thanks again.
Sena Bappa
- FJS
Dear Fj,
This is really nice.
Kind regards,
- Gamage