Month: April 2022

The Spice of Life

I wake up on a usual Sunday morning and look Usually at the unusual year planner on my wall. The even squares of days, grin with a bored look, And sadly, shows me the same words on each slot. I open a grey wardrobe full of grey clothes to look For the usual dress I wear, now worn-out as rags. I sit on a chair and read the same crimped page for The zillionth time with closed, soar and sleepy eyes. I pick up one by one, the thrown-out, small wailing Invitation cards and, put them on intense red fires. Clitter, clatter and shatter the silver spoons and Pots and dishes embrace each other in pure love. The shining, stunning…

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The Colorless Rainbow

The rain seized, after a loud and loathing downpour,The heavy grey clouds drifted apart slowly as a snail.Light sun rays touched the dusty windows in glamour.In a dark room, sleeps sluggishly a boy with a ponytail,Clinging to pinkish blanket and dressed in girly clothes.In a far-away lonely street, lags behind a sporty girl,And walks behind her some boys calling rude names.A slim boy walks past, as doors beside close and whirl. Eyes pop-up, murmurs begin as two men hold hands,In an ‘available for all’ bus seat and embrace in love.A person lost in sex is frowned upon by some doctors,He is hopeless in front of lawyers feeling aggressive.Two girly mammas and dadas get blamed at work,Sans any compassion, like some…

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The Loudest Whistle

The room filled with pin drop silence. I can hear my own heart beat syncing with those on stage. As I look over at the immense crowd gathered here, I can feel the tension. I close my eyes, praying to God. "Please, let her win!" Ever since I dropped out of the contest, my only hope was to see my best friend winning the competition, to see her coming back home, with the trophy in her hands. Now that the moment is seconds away, I can feel my stomach knotting up. Not that I hate Jasmine. She became a good friend of both of us a few weeks ago. She is an extremely talented girl, and everybody says she moves…

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Conventionally Unconventional

Culture refers to aspects of human-made elements, including tools, dress, and media, in addition to values, attitudes, and norms. For example, the dress is a significant part of almost every culture. That represents the unique verity of that particular identity. And the styles of the specific dress depend on culture. Cultures have the power to make the style according to its limitations. Therefore, we can come to one particular argument; 'cultures frame the style'. Cultural patterns are characteristic behaviours and often include a complex array of choices. A culture may afford more than one way of doing the same thing. Hence, diversity in behaviours may be found in some aspects of any culture. The bohemians, as a counterculture, appeared in France…

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Embracing Darkness

I feel nothing.My mind numb.And my heart, empty. I see no harmony of colours,Nor any chaos of emotion.Eyes fixed on a blank canvas,With nothing to spoil its surface.There are no rivers but a lake,Water still and unmoving.It reveals not its secrets,Muddied by stagnant waters.Should I embrace stillness,Or seek disruption? How perplexing is Human Nature,Not able to be still but afraid to move.Am I embracing the darkness I manifest?I think I’m in love. Am I crazy? Maybe.But this darkness is more alive to me than any light. - Rtr. Yeshani Fernando (@Caffeine_n_Stokes818)

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Human Candle

The scent is driving me mad, which leave traces in your footpath.They watch as you dissipate with every single whiff of perfume.Torn between love for you and greed for that oh-so-perfect scent.I look at you and I wonder why you choose to dissipate? You are still so beautiful even just as sculptured waxYet you melt, to please those who fall for your scent.A candle with a spirit that runs away from my hands,That fruitlessly try to capture you in a glass chamber. Maybe I am the truly greedy one,For wanting you to choose comfort. - Caffeine_n_Stokes

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Eternal Whispers

As unsettling sensations create rippling shivers from within,Winds and landscapes call my name in haunting whispers.My gut clenches with unease, and longing engulfs my being,As the inner voice screams for me to run beyond what I see. The embrace of a familiar warmth is in the way of destiny,Blocking the unknown darkness that sing songs of seduction.The promise of adventures and a life of riddles, lure me inTo a vast expanse of nothing but footsteps of lonely souls. As my imagination treks on the outskirts of the wasteland,Lullabies that sing of sweet nothings promise me the world.They travel my mind and take hostage of my dulled senses,Voices of reason call me back from a love that will never fade. As…

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For the Love of ‘Urban Legends’

My obsession with “exploring the unseen” started at a very young age. The concepts of ghosts, demons, and other paranormal phenomena always managed to get me excited. I remember how I curated a book with creepy articles, pictures, illustrations and got into a lot of trouble with my mom. I remember how my friends and I from fourth grade formed a secret society where we would go around school looking for ghosts as it was “the trend” back then. We didn’t stop there, we wanted to explore all the creepy urban legends, from “Mohini” to “Bodhilima” to “Mahasona”, as they gave us a sense of happiness. The obsession was real and serious. Did I gain anything from it? I don’t…

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Wild Theories Surrounding Sigiriya

Sigiriya, (Lions Rock) as we all know, is listed as the 8th wonder of the world  and considered a world heritage site by the UNESCO. When you think about Sigiriya, what would likely come to mind would be, the frescoes, the ponds, the mirror wall and of course… the giant rock in itself.  I happened to visit Sigiriya with my family (mum and dad) when I was about 10. While I cannot recall much of my visit; what I do distinctly remember was that, half way into the climb (upon reaching the infamous Lion paws),my mum suddenly declared that she was feeling thoroughly fatigued and wanted to discontinue the climb. My dad immediately complied, ignoring my pleas that at least…

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An Account of Feeling Disempowered

I was in my room getting my daily dose of adrenaline by watching All of us are dead on Netflix. Thaththi was seated on the couch, disappointed at the fielding of the Sri Lankan cricket team in their match against Australia. Ammi was engaging in a series of phone calls with her colleagues who didn’t seem to grasp work too easily. The clock we barely looked at, now struck 7.40pm. Suddenly all I heard was my mother still on the phone, and ASMR of zombies eating people every ten seconds on Netflix. Once again, the Ceylon Electricity Board ‘disempowered’ us. Minutes later, the string of allegations against the government, their families and their extended families began primarily between my father…

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