15 December, 2019
I watched in anxious agony
That beautiful spreading “Kottang” tree
whose boughs were full of broad green leaves...
what a cooling shade it gave me.
Then slowly silently those dark green leaves
took on other hues – turning yellow, orange then red
sometimes twirling or silently floating
onto the grass beneath the tree.
Alas! What has happened now...
The boughs still spread in nudity!
Anxiously I watch those empty boughs
Day after day in agony
Yearning to see some puny buds
come bursting in the yonder tree.
Then I compare my solitary life
To this nude “Kottang” tree...
Light dawns on me – I sigh with relief, comprehending
That I’ve let go so many, many things
So then my agony vanishes away!
- Piyawathie Jayasuriya