Kumar Gunawardane
THE FAREWELL
Their final rendezvous,
In the dull desolate airport,
The sun has set,
The sublime summer
Has come to an end.
The lingering farewells;
At last,
The “most beautiful words”,
A hoarsely whispered,
I love you,
She replies, softly,
I love you too.
The line inches forward,
They hug again,
Please don’t cry,
He holds back his tears
She says, I have no tears,
My lips, my soul, my heart,
Are all parched,
As dry as the desolate dismal desert sands.
The doors slam shut,
The echo dies slowly,
So does a part of him,
Forever.
The day had begun somberly,
She had asked,
What do you like about me
Everything, he wanted to say,
But the words remained unspoken.
A solitary ray
Illumines the darkened chamber.
Still their hearts gallop,
In the blackness of despair.
A flurry
Packing, unpacking,
The face flushed,
The raven tresses dishevelled
He gazes,
Mindlessly,
The Rubaiyat and the Gita Govinda are in.
Between chemises,
Part of him will
Stay with her, always.
She bends,
Glimpses of the breasts,
And the honey-hued skin,
Peeping
above the soft white lace,
He looks away reluctantly.
Driving down,
Their hearts are leaden,
Like the wintry sky above
The voices muted,
Breath hushed
The skins cold.
Wordlessly,
They sip, their last coffee
Together
Espresso for her,
Cappuccino for him.
Words choke,
The parting has come too soon
When will we meet again?
In the endless cycle
Of Samsara
“Ever has it been, that love knows not its depth,
Until the hour of separation.”
Khalil Gibran
“Our most beautiful days,
We haven’t seen yet
And the most beautiful words,
I wanted to tell you,
I haven’t said yet”
Nazim Hikmet
Absolutely brilliant poem by our own Bard.
ReplyDeleteLoved it!
The images projected are so true and touching.
Thanks, Kumar.
Dear Kumar
ReplyDeleteSorry for the delay in replying to your email. I am in rural Sussex enjoying a family holiday. In a quiet moment it was so lovely to read your fine poem. You have the wonderful ability to create the atmosphere for the sad farewell which you have done so brilliantly in verse. Reading through I could feel the pain and the heartache of the parting.
This lovely poem takes me back to my teenage years in old Ceylon watching that great film “Brief Encounter”. The romantic drama starring Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard was written by Noel Coward. The recurring excerpts of the beautiful Sergio Rachmaninov’s’ piano concerto no. 2 all through the film created the ambience for the infatuation, passion and the sadness of separation. I am certain you may have seen this film years ago.
Well done Kumar you have created yet another masterpiece.
With my very best wishes
Dear Kumar
ReplyDeleteA brilliant poem,very moving.you have touched on some real situations.I am in Sri Lanka at the moment,having a great time time with relatives and friends.Enjoyed the hospitality of Pram and Swyrie.
Met Sunna's brother Manick at a dinner,he was very grateful to have received the pile of letters Sunna wrote to you from USA.
Nihal, Manick sends his regards to you too.
Bora (and Harshi) have an enjoyable time with your family and friends in Sri Lanka. I hope your leg is back to normal and that you are back on the dance floor! Say hello to the friends I know, and also your sisters.
DeleteSrianee
DeleteThank you for the good wishes.The leg is not back to normal,a bit stiff with mild pain at times.I do not need pain killers regularly .Not started golf yet,but I do a bit of dancing, basic steps only.
Bora
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear from you from sunny SL. Thanks for passing on the regards from Manik. I will write to him. Enjoy your time back home and have a safe journey back. Best wishes. ND
Congratulations Kumar for your brilliant poetry, although at a personal level I tend to prefer prose to verse.
ReplyDeleteKumar, thank you for this beautiful and touching poem. It evokes many emotions in the reader. I think my younger daughter will connect with this, because when she met her future husband, he was living in Germany, and there were many airport goodbyes!
ReplyDelete"Wordlessly,
They sip, their last coffee
Together
Espresso for her,
Cappuccino for him." will probably ring true. Although in their case it was espresso for him and cappuccino for her. This went on for three years before she made the decision to move to Germany. Love will always find a way!
Now I am the one who experiences "the airport goodbyes." Although they are not the romantic goodbyes, I am always saying goodbye to people I love, in some airport or another. I manage by focusing on the next "hello" at a future date.
Thank you again Kumar! It was a joy to read.
Sorry for the late response Kumar. Your poem is absolutely moving and rings true.... Tugs at the heart strings.
ReplyDeleteBrought back memories of my first departure to UK .... Way back in 1975 when I had to leave Mahendra and my two year old daughter behind... Had no idea when I would be able to get a steady job and then send them air tickets . ( this was during the Srimavo time of restrictions)I remember wiping away tears all the way from Colombo to Heathrow.
The words of a Sinhala song that was popular at the time" Eda raa guwan thotupaledee ma when wee giye hithkin nowe " kept echoing in my mind.
Suri