NOT YOUR DAUGHTER

Imagine a girl, of 24

Bubbly, easy going

Affectionate and approachable

With a hundred dreams in her eyes

DEAD.

****

She gave in, last night

Left a note with an empty bottle of morphine

She wasn’t raped, nor harassed

Nor acid attacked

She was just denied

Of true love

****

She was beautiful

In her own way

Wanted to love and be loved back

****

Had taken off her clothes

In such a haste (read trust)

Men do like it, don’t they? She had thought

****

Had rushed into things, true.

Had so much hope though

With stars in her eyes

And love in her heart

****

But alas, Caste and Religion were (are)

So much larger than her affection

Her soul was torn, minute by minute

Every time she was shown the door

****

Some might feel

It was a foolish decision

To be dead over a trivial matter like this

But this society does not know

How grateful it feels

When you are not addressed as

A spinster

A barren woman

A prostitute, or

A failure.

****

As a child

Caste and religion never mattered

As a kid

All the genders could play together

Unity in diversity

They used to say

Where did all that equality go

I wonder

****

I am curious to learn

How age old traditions

Hold more water

Than human emotions

How culture is more acceptable

But a woman’s fondness beyond her boundaries is not

****

As a woman

I have been told many times

That your skin color does matter

Your housekeeping skills will matter

High ambitions? Ditch them, girl

You are going to start a family

Not a business enterprise

****

As a woman

I have been made to realise

That I need to be pursued

And not the other way round

I need to be honest and faithful

And not the other way round

****

Can someone explain

Why a bare bodied woman

Draws more ridicule

Than an upper caste man,

Who has been accused of rape?

****

Roaming around at 3 in the night with men

Uncultured girl. Son, you better stay away from such women

Who have desires higher than you

Because they are all fired up with rogue lipstick and mascara

And will burn you with them too.

****

Acceptance is such a blessing

Desperation is a curse

It makes you love everyone

And makes you lose everything

****

So many movies

Fantasising romance

Surprisingly, they never talk

About the honour killings.

****

It seems all trivial

Till it hasn’t happened to your loved one

Just everyday newspaper gossip

Didn’t she have no shame?

Didn’t she love her parents?

Well, you need not judge her anymore

The bitterness has passed away

The honour of the family has been saved

She is not your daughter, hey!

****

I wish we were more tolerant

Towards cultural integration

Towards women and their ambitions

Towards the happiness of our youth

Without restrictions

****

As a society

I wish we could learn to love our children more

Than our temples, churches and mosques

****

I wish our God could be one

Our hearts and souls could be one

Because our Earth is one

And our Sun is, too

******************************

Hello, dear reader. Thanks for stopping by. I am hopeful that you would understand the emotions behind the poem before firing any sort of criticism. However, your feedback shall be genuinely accepted.

Hinting on inter-caste/religion/state marriages and societal pressures; increasing trend in casual relationships; women: their safety, life choices and ambitions; rising suicide trends amongst the youth; and cultural integration

Regards

Debashrita 🙂