The evening has arrived,
The sun had set and the moon has shined,
At the crack of dawn when the world will rejoice
I will party with my friends and make some noise.
Tomorrow is not just any other day,
It’s a new year, new beginning, a fresh chance to be back from astray.
Resolutions, goals and promises have been made,
But a break from work is all I need.
A-line skirt and strappy heels
I had chosen my outfit, oh yay!
Little did I know that my joy would turn into horror
In seconds, in minutes, in just another hour.
Celebrations turn into dread,
Of unruly men pawing, groping and mauling until we fled.
Out in the open, watched by hundreds of cops
I was being hunted down, with those able claws.
Little did I know, me being a woman gave you the right
To grab me without my consent.
I keep forgetting that I will be judged for what I wear,
When and where I go
And then you remind me so.
I would be shh’ed now and given lectures on how to dress up
But short skirts or burqa, I know my fate, I well up.
For I should always carry my dupatta, I swear
Because men oh men, you have the right to stare.
Teach your sons and brothers the right way to behave
And aspire to be men of honor and control their crave.
Nourish them with goodness, I pray
To not be mute spectators and move on saying, ‘anyway‘.
Let no girl feel haunted and hunted,
When she is one, eleven or hundred.
Let her be safe and not blameful
Just because you are hateful and act disgraceful.
Linking to #BarWoWe at BAR for the Word Prompts –Aspire,Always,Anyway,Arrive
Bellybytes says
Why was it a night of shame> All you did was to enjoy yourself. As women we shouldn’t be ‘ashamed’ to enjoy ourselves….
Bellybytes recently posted…1/12 in 2016 – #2017 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge
Obsessivemom says
How wonderfully you wove in the prompts Shalini to convey such a powerful message. What happened in Bangalore is sad and deplorable. And your’e right, it’s our sons and brothers we need to educate.
Obsessivemom recently posted…How can I not be grateful? #gratitudecircle
Rachna says
Well said. So sad and shameful that we have to put up with this. The harassment and then the empty lectures. Truly tragic.
Lata Sunil says
Well said Shalini. What was the women’s fault? They were not out to prove a point or bring the world to order. It was a simple outing. Sad one. Beautiful poem.
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Esha says
Very well said. I liked how you put the Bangalore incident into perspective and wove it into the poem so well and so accurately. Such a farce that hypocrisy thrives in the garb of so-called “culture” and “morality”, which forces women to forfeit their right to dress the way they like, with one section of society regressing into a primitive barbaric state and the rest of us reduced to being mere spectators!
Uma Nigith says
This poem expresses what so many women must have felt that night. I can imagine the happiness with which you set out and the horror they have to go through. There is only one way it can change, the society with all men, women and children have to change. In France, I was really surprised by an incident that happened on a bus once. A group of young boys were standing and passing sly remarks at girls. All the people of the bus together started staring at them and giving them really stern looks that the boys got off the bus in no time. I haven’t seen such a community action before, I guess this is what we need to learn, this is what we need to unite for.
Rohan Kachalia (@rohank01) says
You have brought out the pain, the shamelessness of men and the entire behaviour of men when it comes to women. I hope that men act like men and not like cheap drunkards.
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Mayuri Nidigallu says
You’ve voiced every woman’s pain, Shalini. And so beautifully, without making us seem like victims. Kudos on this brilliant piece!
SHALINI BAISIWALA says
I am blown away by your interpretation of this awful malady that possess our Indian men so avidly- Shalz this post has a lot of respect from me – I read it twice to savour your words and emotions – they connected so well with me for everytime such an incident surfaces, as a woman I feel violated and helpless. I share the horror and pain in every such incident becuase somewhere inside m elurks the fear that it could be me someday!!!
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Deepa says
Wow Shalini..u summed it up so nicely. Its very sad to see the way things are going around in our country. I get scared thinking of the times when my girls will grow up. It needs to be stopped and moms should teach good lessons to their sons about respecting females. Good one Shalini.
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Rajlakshmi says
Reading about the incident boils my blood. Utterly shameful and disgusting act!! I saw another cctv footage and it was so infuriating to see that. It’s not about gender anymore… it’s about being human and show some compassion to another fellow human. You have expressed it very well.
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My Era says
You’ve voiced the painful reality of every girl’s life. The hurt, the anguish continues as we step into another year where nothing has changed as far as the mindsets of the people making up our society or the beliefs of the privileged gender.
My Era recently posted…The Mindfulness I Mistook To Be Mindlessness
Shilpa Gupte says
After I read about the horrific incident of Bangalore, I reflected upon it for quite a long time. Incidents such as these find the spotlight upon them, albeit for a short while, when fingers are pointed at the women for dressing “provocatively” and not staying at home at such ungodly hours. And, after a while, after all the blame games have been played by the powers that be and the men who rule our land, life goes back to normal. The perpetrators go back to doing what they do best – create havoc in the lives and minds of the women of our society.. The crime seldom gets the punishment it deserves, and men, who know no morals get the motivation and encouragement to carry on with their wild, beastly ways. All of this leaves me with no hope for us and the generations to come of a future that will provide them with safety and a secure environment to live and breathe freely, the way it was meant to be.
Sanchie @ Living my Imperfect Life says
It’s shameful that it’s still considered ok for men to treat women any way they please. It’s shameful that as women we are constantly blamed for what happens to us. I loved the way you weaved such an important topic into a poem. Great going!
Sanchie @ Living my Imperfect Life recently posted…Book Review: Selection Day by Aravind Adiga #AusRead17
Jaibala Rao says
I have spoken and debated so much about not just this incident, but what we have to go through in general, all because we are women. This poem so clearly expresses, the desperation, despair and the frustration we face as women.
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Awkward Earthling says
As I said..
Write more 🙂
you really should write more poems !!
Deepak Malhotra says
Very well written!!!
Check out my blog also to experience the magic of letters.
Hope you will like it:)