I hold her little hand
and see her smile
in her sleep,I wonder
do I owe her an apology
for bringing her
into this world
where schools aren't
immune to guns
and streets are filled
with savage brutes
where they deify her
and then immerse her
constantly in the dark waters
of honor and shame
where she has to be
fair,slim and homely
wear decent clothes
need to be "protected"
and rarely really respected
What am I really thinking
when I tell her fairy tales
don't I know
the real stories of girls
are too horrible even to tell
still I will speak up
and voice these gruesome truths
let me introduce her
to new words
violence,apathy and blame !
This post was shared at http://fakeindianbbahu.wordpress.com/2012/12/23/second-thoughts-first-violenceapathy-and-blame/
and here http://twitter.com/fakeindianbbahu
and see her smile
in her sleep,I wonder
do I owe her an apology
for bringing her
into this world
where schools aren't
immune to guns
and streets are filled
with savage brutes
where they deify her
and then immerse her
constantly in the dark waters
of honor and shame
where she has to be
fair,slim and homely
wear decent clothes
need to be "protected"
and rarely really respected
What am I really thinking
when I tell her fairy tales
don't I know
the real stories of girls
are too horrible even to tell
still I will speak up
and voice these gruesome truths
let me introduce her
to new words
violence,apathy and blame !
This post was shared at http://fakeindianbbahu.wordpress.com/2012/12/23/second-thoughts-first-violenceapathy-and-blame/
and here http://twitter.com/fakeindianbbahu
I admire and respect the sensitivity and honesty with which you express this unavoidable truth. May be having Adya Lakshmi around me makes me understand these things better. I had always thought I was fairly gender sensitive. Adya's birth made me realize how deficient it was. She filled the gaps.
ReplyDeleteYour poetry nourishes it.
Thanks Harsh ! I agree having daughters make us see all of it in a new light and therefore one huge solution for all gender issues would be to have more girls survive.
DeleteI am sharing this on my blog with due credits
ReplyDeleteThanks FB !
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