Magazine

Her poem of hope became a reality sooner than later

By Adilah Ismail

Kusala Goonathilaka was rummaging through her memorabilia and some of her writing when she came across a copy of an old poem submitted to the papers for a competition 11 years ago. Written on the completion of her A’ Level examinations at Musaeus College, Colombo she was on the threshold of adulthood when she submitted the poem to the Sunday Times.

Kusala Goonathilaka

The poem, written on the theme ‘25 years from now’, was published in the Mirror Magazine in November 1999 and expressed the vision of a country devoid of war, through the eyes of a teenager. “When I was writing this, it seemed like an impossible target,” explains Kusala recollecting the emergency drills in school (in the event of an explosion) and the undercurrent of uncertainty and fear which persistently pervaded the air.

However, a 19-year-old’s seemingly impossible dream became a reality in 10 years time, and nearly a year after the conclusion of the war, Kusala speaks about her happiness at the prospect of peace and growing up in the backdrop of a war.

A voracious reader, Kusala, with encouragement from her teachers and family, turned to poetry and prose as a method of making her voice heard.

“I don’t have any intimate, personal memories other than being a member of the general public,” she says, adding that despite living away from the warfront in Colombo, the ethnic conflict infiltrated their lives in more than one.”

With degrees in IT and Information Management and having passed out as a lawyer now, Kusala intends to go abroad to gain work exposure, but has no intention of migrating and settling down abroad.
“I love this country. I always want to stay here.”

Delighted that the war is over, she believes that her generation is the most benefited and smilingly expresses her fervent hope that “Everyone can live in harmony now.” We publish here Kusala’s two poems:

November 14, 1999 (Mirror magazine)

White doves will sing sweet melodies
To cure the pains, to heal the wounds
The past has made.
The soldiers will rest,
with their weapons down.
The war will come to an end,
Harmonies will be sung, by children of Mother Lanka.
Hand in hand.
May everyone enjoy peace after a long time
When ethnic wars stop,
Let mothers have smiles on their faces.
And wipe away the tears the
Past has made.
For twenty five years from now
I wish my dreams of peace become reality
To be happy and to enjoy the peace
Among other peaceful minds.

2010 (the whole of the old poem is reproduced in the new one)

Ten years ago on one sweet day,
A competition of poems I remember
Titled twenty five years from now
I penned this poem in my teenager days.
White doves will sing sweet melodies
To cure the pains, to heal the wounds
The past has made.
The soldiers will rest, with their
Weapons down.
The war will come to an end,
Harmonies will be sung, by children of Mother Lanka.
Hand in hand.
May everyone enjoy peace after a long time
When ethnic wars stop,
Let mothers have smiles on their faces.
And wipe away the tears the
Past has made.
For twenty five years from now
I wish my dreams of peace become reality
To be happy and to enjoy the peace
Among other peaceful minds.
Looking back at the old
Paper cuttings now making as treasure of gold
The hope we had from twenty five years then
Has become a reality in ten years time
A dream of pleasant future to gain
Eradicating the war that came up from time to time
Became the reality, wiping the tears of pain
Let the sweet flowers of peace blossom
Making today and tomorrow a new dawn

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