A Thunder Terrified Me Poem by Udaya R. Tennakoon

Commentary by Daniel J. Brick:

The last line of this poem is one of the most wonderful closings I have read: 'A mind may turn to blossom then everywhere'. What hope is promised! What goodness is offered! What joy is celebrated! In the midst of our present darkness, Udaya Tennakoon has cast the brightest ray of light. The poem is written entirely in figurative language. There is no cast of characters - terrorists, victims, witnesses - that derive from news reports or eyewitness. The time frame is not specified, nor is the location. So the narrative events we would normally expect from current events-inspired poetry are not present in this poem. Tennakoon has written an abstract poem, that is, he has eliminated all extraneous narrative or personal detail to hone in on the essential drama of the event. The thunder of the title refers to the terrorist attacks, and the sky unprepared to rain refers to the lack of readiness in the west. A strange darkness descends and seemingly paralyzes people with fear. It is as if the irrational acts of violence have unhinged the speaker's mind. He seeks ‘a tree asylum' but can neither act nor think clearly. But he has not lost his core values. The external violence of the terrorists somehow cannot touch them. They include diversity, calm and justice. And he is confident that they will prevail and heal this damaged world and its vexed population. The remedy for hatred is the increase of love. And that brings us to the closing line. The prophecy or prediction has been announced as something natural and human and accessible. The land and its people will flourish again.