POETRY

Amma

By Isurinie Anuradha Mallawaarachchi     VOLUME 57 No. 4

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Pillows placed on top of each other
like a fortress I made when I was four-five-ish
listening to Amma’s story of how
she started working a week after our caesarean.
The new knees that we bought last week
are still getting accustomed to her grace.
The little me would have imagined a doll
that I used to pull the limbs out of--
but Amma is not a doll.

Hands on the walker, deep breaths to gather the strength,
Amma bites her lips and rises
like she does--


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ISURINIE ANURADHA MALLAWAARACHCHI (she / her) is the author of My Mind Is a Light Switch (2023), a poetry collection. Her debut book, Flowers Teach Me to Let Go (2022), also poetry, was shortlisted for the 2022 Gratiaen Prize. She is bilingual and writes in Sri Lankan English and Sinhala. Isurinie is an alumna of the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka; the University of Malaya, Malaysia; and Mahidol University, Thailand. She also studied at Sri Lanka Law College and is a qualified attorney in Sri Lanka. Isurinie is currently working toward her doctorate, focusing on street harassment in Sri Lanka.


VOLUME 57 No. 4