She

She wants to shine in the bright and in the dark,

She wants to conceal her stark.

Fill the void with the kohl and stones,

Hair fully blown,

Insecurities hidden with cologne,

Stifling her moan,

She is a woman grown.

She puts a veil over all her dreads,

Her actions pulled by a thread.

As the nightfalls she lies low because darkness awakens the demons,

Because whoever might be at fault she is told she is the reason.

As she steps out she camouflage her jewels as for some it’s called a bait,

Prestige none but expectations colossal weight ,

Lamentable; that she has accepted her fate,

But why has she made peace with such grief stricken state?

Maybe because her dad sold her off with a dowry,

And when she was gone it was counted as one less worry.

Her mom who justified her dad’s abuse,

Rationalising the misuse,

Being intoxicated was one excuse.

Her grandmother who kept her brother ahead in the name of patriarchy,

Even though life long oppressed she still advocates this hierarchy.

But she will cause a change not a rebel but a revolution,

This male chauvinistic society will face an intrusion,

As she will shatter the seclusion,

Disorient the potential delusion,

Empowering all her little reflections and ending the confusion,

Seeking her rightful rights is the conclusion.

- Ananya Sacheti, Bharati College