The peach tree was near death

When we first made our home

Beneath Namunukala.

The bark of the bough

Was cadaver grey,

Mottled with white.

The only life was

In the parasite

Adding unsought leaves.

On Poya days, the full moon

Miracle arouses the aroma

Of Queen of the Night

Epiphyllum oxypetalum.

On Vesak poya,

The night sky was bright as midday

And clotted with stars.

The peach tree was alive with lights.

Fireflies clustered among the leaves

And branches, echoing the stars,

Infused life from the heavens.

Light linked the forces

Of the cosmos with the latent

Life on the earth.

Now the tree is fecund with fruit.

The fauna are in a frenzy.

Mynahs and black robins

Tussle for food

With minivets, tolerant

In the knowledge

That there is enough for all.

But hooligan monkeys

Evolved from humans,

Bored

With a diet of jak, want it all

And throw their weight around,

Frightening the birds

Until themselves are seen off,

If only for awhile,

By the howling dogs.

Pelting their turds,

The monkeys retreat to re-form

And fight another day.

Some peaches lie on the ground,

Worms and flies burrowing

Into the rotting fuzz.