My Daughter: The Equal Of My Son

By Ayn Mawaddat (Zainab Shahzad) My dear beloved daughter

My dear beloved son

They might treat you differently

But to me you're one

They might indicate to you my dear son

Daughters are less while sons are more prominent

But never forget it ain't the truth

Never doubt your sister's equality any moment

Discriminating between the two of you

Is the society's way of attaining pleasure

To them you're either a boy or a girl- but humans

To them Being humans first doesn't really matter

Beware son when in the scale of discrimination

They confer upon you the privilege of dominance

Gender, culture, religion, color, and keep counting

Someday you'll be discriminated too, that's ordinance.

Just as much they need you son, they need you daughter

Just as much my son is strong, So are you my daughter

Just as much her emotions she will show, showing

Your emotions dear son won't make you any less manlier

Dear son the family name passes on to you

The legacies of the family are yours to carry

Dear daughter you're the glue that nurtures

the name bearer of the next generation of humanity

Maybe the human race is misguided to assume

A son is superior to a daughter always

Had that been true Adam wouldn't need Eve

Lord would've designed a mother in different ways

Dear son when you say you love me you must know

I'm a mother to you but a daughter to somebody

When I see your respect and honor for me

I want you to show the same to everybody

Dear daughter when I tell my son to be respectful

I want you to be a beautiful hearted soul too

Let not evil get you to berate you or anyone

Your purity my love makes you a dignified you

To my son I ask you to never seek advantage

To a woman's weakness or your available power

Your eyes speak loudly of your modesty

And your modesty in your actions will speak louder

Dear daughter that doesn't mean

you're at liberty to exercise your gift of feminism

Your modesty reflects too, and that is your attire

Dress on trend but conceal like treasure your womanism

Dear mother I hear you, dear mother I as a son

Will always bear in mind your concern

No daughter I shall assume I'm superior to

My duties as a son and as a man I do discern

Your teachings I completely understand

I'm a boy today, and a man of tomorrow

Seeing father's and your actions and deeds

I ask you both to lead and I shall follow

Dear mother being your daughter I've known

The society will judge me at every step

I will transform your teachings into my shield

They'll find no reason to point my character that I prep

As a daughter I'll take care of the thin line

Between my limitations and my liberty

I will treasure my self and my purity

I'll do it for me even before I do it for society

My dear children you're my contribution

In building the society of today and tomorrow

If today there's someone else representing society

You will be society to someone tomorrow

Take the good and leave the bad behind

Cherish their virtues but the flaws you won't judge

Everybody ain't gifted the powers of goodness

make sure you acquire the powers to be fair and just

By Ayn Mawaddat (Zainab Shahzad)