Shirani Rajapakse
Alone The noise engulfs me. Yet I’malone. The birds sing outside. Yet I’m alone.The TV, radio and all that modernity can offer hums around me. Fromthe apartment above, below and across the street in front of me.Yet, I’m still all alone. In the mall the people walk past. Serious faces,strangers faces. They look and see but don’t quite see me passthem by. The restaurant has no spaceleft, it is full and we sit in a group and talk and joke yet I’m alone. I’m part of it,yet I’m still not. I sit with the crowd, I connect with their thoughts. Yet I’m still alone,not a part of that completely. Why? Samsara I’m bored with this life. Can I go home? But where ishome? How do I get there? Which busdo I take? Do I fly instead, or canthe road take me there throughits twists and turns? And if I fall alongthe way will you lift me up? Give me new shoes and food to eat and a place to stay. Will you comewith me, or do you stay behind?Alone. I could do with some companyon my way there. To nowhere. Towhere I don’t know. For Icannot read a map and you can. It’s as simple as that. Shirani Rajapakse is a poet and author. She earned a degree in English Literature from the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka and a MA in International Relations from the Jawaharlal Nehru University India. Her book of short stories, Breaking News (Vijitha Yapa 2011) was shortlisted for the Gratiaen Award. She is shortlisted for the Cha “Betrayal” Poetry Contest 2013. Shirani’s work appears, or is forthcoming in, Dove Tales, About Place Journal, Skylight 47, The Smoking Poet, New Verse News, and The Occupy Poetry Project and anthologies such as Poems for Freedom, Voices Israel Poetry Anthology 2012, Song of Sahel, Occupy Wall Street Poetry Anthology, World Healing World Peace and Every Child Is Entitled to Innocence. Her poetry was featured on Verses in Motion radio. She blogs rather infrequently at http://shiranirajapakse.wordpress.com