The Cry of A Tortured Soul...

By Swati Thakur (St. Stephen's College)

WHAT am I?? ……the cry of a tortured soul!

Another horrific tale I was told,

Made me angry, made me cold;

It made me question my dignity,

WHAT am I? I was left in a quandary!

An individual, a person is that all?

Or a mere person meant to oblige monsters’ calls?

Am I the beauty that nurtures a life?

Or just a commodity used by some low life?

I am a woman-I scream out aloud,

With feelings, with emotions, and a heart that makes me proud.

I am a gift to be cherished,

To be respected, cared for and allowed to flourish!

I have grown in stature over time,

Yet I am subjected to maximum crimes;

Been to the moon and back, the world says,

Yet in their actions, these words give away!

Brutally slaughtered, broken and shattered;

That’s the fate I meet if a man I fail to oblige,

My own choices and decisions don’t matter,

Agree or DIE, is the decision conferred……

I am not a commodity to be owned,

My body, my temple, not some throne!

I deserve to be treasured, not butchered,

To be considered an equal, not a weakling!

WHAT am I? Again I question,

For I am considered far from human……