A poem dedicated to women everywhere but specifically to the women who suffer terrible consequences in India (and elsewhere) just because of their gender or caste.
When fleeting moments of felicity
appear in times of despair
and the evanescence of euphoria;
even when anguish is beyond repair,
makes its presence felt,
Is it enough to go on or
is it finally enough?
When the air gets thin,
do I breathe harder or
savor every breath within?
When my sisters burn
and I feel their wounds
printing on my skin,
do I set the world on fire
or pray quietly by their pyre?
When my life is owned
and possessed and burned
and buried by those without
an inkling, do I rise in
a momentary bravado
or kneel for a lifetime's ignominy?
When at the time of their requiem,
my fallen sisters lay peaceful
in their coffers, and
accept still the apology
our maker offers,
Till such a dawn breaks,
I shall live with their aches,
for somewhere in the beyond,
they look at me and us,
I shall go on for their sakes...
