Artistic
Poems Written by Amira Perera Based on her Life
On A Safari
like sardines packed
in a cherry red datsun
my family and I
accomplished an African Safari
where the piercing sun
penetrated everything in its way
at times
shaping severe drought
inducing bush fires
thirsting all the lions, rhinos and
wild boar
This deceptive sunny afternoon
Our tracker’s jeep
grounded us
in the mud
making us bait
with gun in hand
this tracker
became our hero
night time
in the camp
abrasive wind whispered against
the huts
on the way home
the army check post
they probed into our car
questioning identities
I had just turned fifteen
eligible
for military service.
or
to be a fugitive
with no papers
“leave her”
they said.
“No way”
we said.
don’t care
to be
a statistic.
In you
I see the
unfettered
mountain goat
that is charging
the depths and the heights
The waterfall
flowing
against the rocks
the winds
reaching its desired place.
While I
a kangaroo mouse at times
only see the dim light
way.way ..in the thick
of the night
or maybe am
the sun fighting
to break free
of the
northern January sky.
Our times
Together
inscribed
in a rare book
of adventures
filled me.
Now the deafening
silence
causes my heart
to scream
to hide
the gap
between us.
Room-mates?
The drifting tides…..
or like two cars heading
North and South
on a congested highway
two room-mates
in a chilling Canadian apartment
survive.
One a busy student;
Career person, the other
both strangers
each avoiding the other
these last eighteen months
because of color difference.
Living
together out of
financial necessity
we “tolerate” each other.
‘Children of a lesser God’?
Who are you………..the God of us the least……..?
The Orphaned, abused, disabled, disfigured, disgraced
Created with lives seemingly full of defeat
Forced to run a race different than the rest
Filled with hindrance, need, pain, suffering
Seen by others through opinions differing
Easily termed ‘needy’
Pests…. to be ignored…feared…
to be put at a different seat
to be excluded
Are we the ‘children of a lesser God’?
A myopic God that favors
the seemingly ‘normal’?
A God
Caring less for the undeserving?
The ones with a twisted, crooked, dance for a life
Or is it people
that you formed
Favoring independence
As their god
Choosing to bestow love,
Friendship to the select
Eating at tables well laden
Reserved for the ‘chosen’
Taking a hard stance
Against inter-dependence
Withholding blessings
Meant to be shared,
to alleviate suffering
To help the least
Are they the ‘children of a lesser God’?