Poems inspired by nature, history and place
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‘Where the Kingfisher Waits’ by Nirma de Silva Wijeyeratne is a recently published collection of poems about journeys inspired by nature, history and place.
With evocative description, lived experience and a deep appreciation of natural and cultural heritage, the poet takes the reader from rice fields of golden plumes, to white stupas, to tables overflowing with jasmine and lotus. There are journeys where loss and grief are encountered. In a world of turmoil, moments of stillness show a longing for peace and quietness.
Says Ramya Chamalie Jirasinghe, poet and author, “This is a collection that I would carry with me as I go about my day, dipping into it at difficult times, after a harsh commute, when words of others jar, when the world feels desolate. By an evocative and sensitive poetic rendering of nature, place and life, these poems reaffirm the power of life to heal and regenerate.”
Author and environmental architect Sunela Jayewardene notes, “A delicate nostalgia for the loss of lifestyles and landscapes, which along with de Silva Wijeyeratne’s sensitive anticipation of the vulnerability of wild ecologies, pervades these poems… making them a joy to read.’
One of international authors to comment on the book is Helen Macdonald, the author of ‘H is for Hawk’ who experienced Sri Lanka’s nature first-hand and met the poet in Sri Lanka. Commenting on the collection, she says, “De Silva Wijeyeratne possesses an imagist’s eye, a deep awareness of the beauty and complexity of the natural world, and an attentive, careful poetic practice that uncovers a great richness of meaning from what lies all around us.’
Nirma de Silva Wijeyeratne
Nirma de Silva Wijeyeratne’s work has appeared in UK poetry journals and other publications including Acropolis, Green Ink Poetry, Roots (Wee Sparrow Poetry Press), Amethyst Review, Southlight, The Dawntreader, Southwark Libraries Poetry Pamphlet, Southwark Heritage Blog and in the publications of The London Natural History Society and The Marylebone Birdwatching Society. She has written and performed in Poems from the heart of the urban forest at the Chelsea Fringe Festival, London, with 15 poets.
The book is available at bookshops including Sarasavi, Barefoot Bookshop, Rohan’s Bookshop (Liberty Plaza) and Wild & the Sage (Unawatuna) and is priced at Rs 1,100. It is being distributed island-wide by Sarasavi.
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