4 March 2024 05:15 am
Once a Naval officer in uniform
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A man like him is rare to find
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A gallant young man, his motto ‘Perform’
Handsome one they called him
All heeding to his every whim
Grit, poise with a never say die attitude
Utterly adventurous and never liked solitude
Bold as brass and completely unafraid
His personality for the Navy was clearly made
Claiming numerous awards for his hairbreadth escapes
For years’ generations will have these tales on tapes
And Even after the most exhausting trips
He was ready for another with a smile on his lips
Full of warmth, pride and affection
Enjoyed family and friends on any occasion
And if you looked deep in to his eyes
You would have seen a man who was wise
When guests arrived no matter the time of day
‘Stay for a meal’ he would always say
Never over anxious and always an optimist
And every item he ticked off on his bucket list
Sharing the same passion for food we did
He and I from challenges we never hid
I spoke of him in my motivational talks
How much his ways influenced my thoughts
A man with such strong self-belief
From his daring ways we have had no relief
At 89 a piano he tried to lift
And would you believe, it really did shift
Full of compassion, he was loved by one and all
As he appreciated anything however small
And this is why, when he breathed his last we did not cry
As he gently drifted in his samsaric journey by and by
A man like him, I think is rare to find
To me, He is still the same gallant
One of a kind
(A poem penned by Hiranya M. Fernando, the grand daughter of late Basil Goonesekera who held the post of Admiral in the Sri Lanka Navy.)