Woman

By Hasini Nimmagadda

Wanting to disappear,

But waiting to be seen,

All we ask is to let us be,

Let us step out of this routine.

While they say being aggressive in you is like strength,

But when I do, it somehow shows disrespect.

While you get away from doing little to nothing,

I’m deeply criticised when I can’t handle everything.

“It’s not safe for girls, just stay at home”

Instead of teaching your boys, you restrict our goals.

We’re not supposed to shout,

or raise our voice in any way,

Or call you out,

as it’s not something to  freely talk about.

We haven’t even started,

On our deceptive beauty standards,

They make no sense,

Just used as hurtful words.

We’re told to hide our body,

And mould into someone’s ideal,

To fit into our fake society,

By having to skip our meals.

We’re either too much,

Or just not enough,

Their words are so harsh,

But expect us to be tough.

It’s not easy being a woman,

Especially in our society,

Where we are raised to be inferior,

Restricted to rise strong and mighty.

Sometimes, all we want is to disappear,

But we still wait to be seen,

All we ask, is to let us be,

Let us step out of this routine.

By Hasini Nimmagadda