Sovereign Indian Girl

By Rajul Chordia

A girl with hopes and dreams in mind,

The story of an Indian girl in the blind.

From a tender age she was splained,

Without a man she was in vain,

A father, a brother, a husband she needs,

To protect her from every misdeed.

So it lay engraved in her every bit,

Dreaming of 'him' in every joy and wit,

She hoped to be loved by a man as did her father,

'cause she knew no other form of love and care.

But sorrow and joy is a ploy of fate,

For when she found him, she generally became the bait,

Scared, ashamed and wrecked by the man beside,

Love came to her after feeding his pride.

Also wronged by those other men,

The father, the brother, who she adored at ten!

For suddenly she was not their family,

For now her new life was her destiny!

Archaically echoed! 'beti tho parayi hai'

I am floored! What do I say?

For this pride takes the name of honour,

While she faces struggles at every corner!

But you know the irony?

The girl accepts this wrath on herself,

She doesn't speak up, her dreams on a shelf!

For she is made to believe this myth,

That 'honour' matters, and she is the family she is with!

Oh you innocent! Or shall I say imbecile?

For you fail to respect or find self worthwhile,

To care for self is no deceit!

To love oneself is no conceit!

So hey girl! Please do yourself a favour,

A tender heart and a brain with fervor,

For you could conquer any battle,

Only, you need to stand up and tackle.

By Rajul Chordia