A Woman Wishes

By Almas Arif

Wish I could be a free woman as I imagine it to be,

Free from all the judgments the world holds against me,

Free from all the worries that the world gives me.

Wish I could be a free woman as I imagine it to be.

Wish I could dance freely

A dance in a closed room, where my mom watches from behind and smiles,

A dance on the stage, where my father watches and claps with pride.

A dance of freedom, a dance of love,

A dance of happiness, a dance of togetherness.

What more could a woman desire, If not freedom and love?

Wish I could fly freely,

Without the fear of being hunted down.

For society's stigma can't ground a woman with wings,

One who longs to be free, to soar to the sky.

Wish I could roam freely,

Without the fear of predators Lurking in the streets,

Always waiting by the next corner,

Ready to strike.

For society’s system

Let’s them roam unchained and wild,

Yet fears a woman’s freedom

More than their own cruelty.

Wish I could stay at home freely,

Without the gaze that lingers too long,

Judging what it should not be.

For society silences a woman who speaks,

And respects the man who lurks in the dark.

Wish I could be the free woman I imagine it to be,

One who chooses her own path,

Crafting a life from her dreams and desires

A life of choice, a life of purpose,

Where choices are honoured and purpose is boundless.

What more could a woman yearn for

Then a life of her own freedom,

A life of her own making?

By Almas Arif