A Grandmother's Tale

By Varshaa Mohan

Once there was a grand old dame

Young and full of life and flame

Who yearned to study far and wide

But her parents had other plans in mind

They wanted her to find a spouse

And sent her off to Bombay's house

To find a man to be her mate

And marry young, it was her fate

The young lady had no choice

She had to follow her parent's voice

And leave her dreams behind

For a husband in a far off land

But her heart still stayed behind

Yearning for the knowledge she could find

Years went by and she grew old

But never did she forget what she was told

In the night she'd whisper her dreams

The books she'd read, the classes she'd take

The things she'd learn, the knowledge she'd seek

But all of this was only in her sleep

Though her body lay in Bombay's home

Her soul still yearned for the knowledge to roam

And even in her old age

Her heart still filled with rage

For the life she could have had

If only her parents hadn't been so bad

It yearned for more and more

And for the knowledge she could explore

But the grand old dame knew her fate

For she was tied to her parent's hate

And her dreams of knowledge were stillborn

Because of the life she had been forced to swarn

By Varshaa Mohan