Strange Heat, Autumn
Ink-stained sky, black bird bands
driven wild, lusty, surprised, flying
every way over Wheaton, summer
heating autumn, dogs, walkers—
long-sleeved shirts stripped off—
car drivers, passersby seeing eye
to eye, asking, have we bet too soon?
Shall we stay longer, start another
inning, go into extra time?
Dance in the Mind
Daily return to the scene
of the tragedy, bombs
raining on citizens in tents,
then burning evidence,
cadavers turned to dust
silting the bed of
Nandikadal Lagoon,
water heavy in memories
of refugees shouting awake
from nightmares in far-away
cities, seeing, hearing
missiles whistle, asking
for redress from those
who ordered attacks,
their heads, or explanations,
truth telling, compensation,
even if social remedies may
only smooth pain, distract
the mind from its dance
with unburied, unsatisfied
dishonored ghosts.
Indran Amirthanayagam is a multilingual poet, essayist, and translator. His books of poetry include The Elephants of Reckoning, El Infierno de los Pájaros, Ceylon R.I.P., and The Splintered Face: Tsunami Poems (Hanging Loose Press, 2012). His most recent collection is Uncivil War (Tsar Publications, 2013). Born in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Amirthanayagam is a U.S. Foreign Service Officer.
