To The One That Never Was

duck-face

You the apple in the grape orchard
That chews a part of me

Still.

Like the lost wreck below many nautical miles
That holds a finder’s treasure
Ingots of carats that could make me exalt in joy
Or surrender in a kiss

And you, in the fogged and misted orchard
Who holds the aspirations of my lips
The lass, who lingered never to become an antique
Who still makes a curio, a sought-after object
To the collector’s eye

And you, who were overridden all your life
Even vetoed from choice, I tell you this…..

Still your music leaves an unassailable presence
The autumn hears you too well

And the apple magnifies
Right in front of my eyes.

Published by Curiosity-driven life (Dilantha Gunawardana)

Dr Dilantha Gunawardana graduated from the University of Melbourne, as a molecular biologist, and moonlights as a poet. He currently serves as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Botany, University of Sri Jayewardenepura. Dilantha lives in a chimeric universe of science and poetry. Dilantha’s poems have been accepted for publication /published in HeartWood Literary Magazine, Canary Literary Magazine, Boston Accent, Forage, Kitaab, Eastlit, American Journal of Poetry, Zingara Poetry Review, The Wagon and Ravens Perch, among others. Dilantha too has two anthologies of poetry, 'Kite Dreams' (2016) and 'Driftwood' (2017), both brought to the readership by Sarasavi Publishers, and is working on his third poetry collection (The Many Constellations of Home). Dilantha’s pet areas of teaching and research, include, Nitrogen Fixation, RNA biology, Phytoremediation, Agricultural Biology, and Bioethics & Biosafety. Dilantha blogs at – https://meandererworld.wordpress.com/ -, where he has nearly 2000 poems. View all posts by Curiosity-driven life (Dilantha Gunawardana)