Mirror Magazine

Mirror Magazine

100 Words - Warm
Thank you for your contributions to the 100 Words page on Warm. The theme for May is Belonging. Please send in your contributions before April 26.

To: Madhubashini Rathnayake,
C/o The Sunday Times,
No. 8, Hunupitiya Cross Road,
Colombo 2

Warm

Her arms, her soft body,
Her hug and her home.
The soothing comfort
That came from mother alone,
And never failed.
***
Your smouldering eyes,
That melted my heart
When we were young.
The fire long gone out,
But the embers still a comforting glow.
***
The little warm bodies
That came through my own warmth,
Those little warm hands, that, clung to mine
With such faith,
Now a tantalising mix of warm and cold
Of part child, part adult.
D. de Silva

Change of mood

I came out
Evading seclusion
And was spellbound
By the fragrance
Of warm conversation
Pervading the air
Like a lively melody.
Smiles of warm greetings
Embraced me.
Uplifted
I switched on
The radio
And listened
To the loud
And rhythmic music
Momentarily forgetting the blues,
Rejuvenated,
I seek blissfully
Pleasant company.
- Ranjan Amarasinghe

Blue lotus

The blue lotus
In my garden pond
Feeling the warm rays
Of the morning sun
Opens petal by petal
And blooms into a beautiful flower
Filling the surrounding environment
With its sweet fragrance.

Hours pass by and the sun losing its warm rays
Gradually sinks
In the western horizon.
The petals in the blue lotus too fold
Reflecting the impermanent
Nature of life.
K. L. M. Dayananda

Meeting my old friend

It is the same warm smile
You greeted me with
In days gone by
When we met every evening
And wrote poems in pairs
In the hotel balcony.
Our poems made no sense
But your couplets rhymed perfectly with mine
We were bachelors then
And you chose to remain so,
Nobody told me of your prolonged illness.
I rejoice in your recovery
But we cannot go to that balcony now
The hotel itself is gone
Yet can't we walk to the back of your garden
Sit under the tamarind tree by this setting sun
And write poems in pairs again?
Lionel Senanayake

From life to death...

Alone in the damp room
The fever cripples
The body.
My soul yearns to break free
From the shackles of disease;
In the distance is the tunnel,
I reach out
To the warm glow
Of the light at the end;
I cling to its warmth,
And travel towards it.
Leaving behind my cold body,
Which lies lifeless,
In the damp room,
Surrounded by death.
Lalinka Yazmin Premaratne

Homesick

My child, who was forever
Enveloped in a whirlwind of kindness,
Laughter and comfort and honest faces,
Careful to leave no room for heartache.

You left us, excited and confident.
At first buoyant with freedom,
You now grope blindly,
Among the faceless millions out there.

Straining for a warm word,
Though the darkness of their voices, seeking love
In the indifference of their touch,
And shelter within their sterile hearts.

Thrust into a cruel, real world
Light years from the warm womb of home,
You weep soundlessly, craving care,
Through miles and miles of telephone wire.
Shivanthi Balasuriya

Warm summer

Tropical warm summer you are magic to the soul.

You whisper dark secrets and unfold the most forbidden desires.

Oh warm summer,
I longed for the sunlight to touch
My skin on a cold winter's night.

When the fresh white snowflakes
touched my face, I closed my eyes
To dream of dusty roads and
Cracked pavement under the
April sun.

Oh, warm summer,
The whisperer of forbidden dreams,
You're rhythm to the heart and
'Maya' indeed...
S. Murugesu

Oriflame awards
By Esther Williams
Thirteen top achievers in sales were awarded cash prizes amounting to US$ 1,000 each by Swedish cosmetic company, Oriflame Lanka (Pvt) Ltd., at a felicitation ceremony held on March 21. The profiles and interests of top achievers - who have been earning between Rs. 50,000 and 100,000 a month - were also highlighted to motivate others.

More than 25,000 Sri Lankans, a majority of whom are women, are selling Oriflame's natural herbal cosmetics manufactured in Europe and Asia.

"We brought into Sri Lanka two products. Oriflame cosmetics and income opportunities whereby individuals engaged in direct sales can earn a monthly income," says Oriflame Lanka's Managing Director Martin Lundvall.

Established in Sweden in 1967, Oriflame began operating in Sri Lanka in 1988. Its cosmetics include hair and body care products, fragrances, skin care products, shampoos, make-up and items for men and children.

Oriflame has a worldwide sales force of over 1.2 million beauty consultants in over 60 countries. It has no shops or retail outlets but engages beauty consultants to sell the products.

Swarna C. Kumarage who runs a beauty salon was among the top achievers in Sri Lanka. She has been selling Oriflame products for nearly two years. Most of her clientele is in the Kottugoda and Ja-ela ar

eas. She also conducts a monthly training programme for 30 others who sell Oriflame products to friends and neighbours.

Another top achiever is singing teacher Dharshani Perera who became a director in this cosmetics business in a short period of time. While most of her clients are parents and students in her singing classes, she also has a group of 120 enthusiastic sellers under her.

The Regional Manager for India and Sri Lanka Martin Haugga-ard explained that Oriflame was doing well in countries such as India, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. They are now hoping to open offices in Vietnam and Bangladesh. "Sri Lanka has shown faster growth than many others."

How are consultants recruited? "Developing entrepreneurs in every city, town and village form a vital part of our sales strategy in Sri Lanka," says Sales Director Dallas Joshua. "We assist people to start a business by selling from their homes in their spare time. We have seen much enthusiasm among Sri Lankan women."

"We do not set any target for the consultants, only motivate and show them possibilities. The system doesn't limit one geographically. The beauty consultants here have even taken these products to Jaffna and the east coast," added Mr. Lundvall.

Our picture shows some of the top achievers with Mr. Lundvall (right) and Mr. Hauggaard.

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