She is the Buddha of my home
the color of kindness, yellow,
turned red blood
to white breast milk
and lavender.

Soft as a petal flower
beautiful as a peacock
peaceful as a kangaroo pouch
and the sound of wind chimes,
my dear mother,
my dear mother’s lap.

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Nadeesha Wijayawardhana has lived in New York City since 2017. She comes from Sri Lanka. At the University of Kelaniya, she studied philosophy, archaeology, and mass communications. She likes to write poetry in English and Sinhala because it helps her relax. She studies in Veronica Jordan-Sardi’s CLIP class at CUNY’s College of Staten Island. Blerina Likollari is the director of the program.