The Many Lives of An Ant

I am but an ant, looking up at the night sky trying to make sense of the stars;

A simple admirer of the written word, marvelling at the trials and tribulations masterfully depicted in the works of Shakespeare;

An honest family man, watching on at the antics of Machiavelli’s brood, nursing a slow-burning flame of anger threatening to turn into wildfire;

A hypochondriac marvelling at a physician delivering exactly what the doctor had described, only to long for an ‘undo’ when there is just no-can-do;

A starved, malnourished man, struggling to keep eyes open, within an alarmingly-thin skeletal frame, being forced to look on as you and I engorge ourselves on food in front of the TV;

A highly-educated professional working 14 to 16 hours a day to meet commitments, watching on as a life-long layabout wins £150 million on the Lottery and turns a new leaf of acceptability, receiving universal popularity and praise;

A War Leader amidst the utter devastation of battle marshalling the troops to move in for the kill, suddenly coming to an epipheny of peace;

You and I have lived many lives unto this moment, if the laws of rebirth and karma are to be believed;

Who ever you are or whatever you’ve done, individuality (rather than the pack mentality) appears to be the key to progress and longevity-

However far we have come, is still not as far as we must go,

We must therefore strive to be true at every juncture:

To others, and to you.

Dinoris Bandara: The Snake Charmer of Hallawatha

               

I charm my snake, like I charm my women;

Wine and dine them on kottu and honeyed tea,

Take them home and mesmerise them with my bata-nalawa;

Follow the vibrations, in a rhythmic union;

Find her body taut and supple, smoother than snake skin,

With a pierced belly button and a stylised ‘payana’ tattoo on the back of her neck,

Subtle graces- a deliciously inviting smile- with a set of eyes that can make a Snake Charmer wanna die!

‘Who is the charmer and, who is the charmed?’, you might ask;

For, without even noticing, I have closed the distance between us to within striking distance,

The risk of death but an after-thought;

The realisation (albeit fleeting) came just in time to move away from a vicious fatal strike!

Lesson be, as lesson learnt, all snakes are dangerous (particularly the female variety),

But, i’ll be sure to forget it tomorrow, after another round of kottu and honey tea, with another girl!