A Goddess Speaks

by Shernaz Wadia

glorified as the ‘divine feminine’

I bleed

with the honor of the raped

incense sticks burn before me

I burn

on dowry pyres

sacrificial offerings lie at my feet

I perish

in honor killings

prayers for longevity rise up to me

I crumble

with aborted fetuses

hopes and desires seek fulfillment

I die

with the dreams of the exploited

revered in the sanctum sanctorum

I vanish

in voiceless protests of the abandoned

adorned, adored, idolised in stone

I grieve

reviled, defiled, mortified in living temples

17-Mar-2011

More By : Shernaz Wadia

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Comments on this Poem

My sincere gratitude to both of you, Mallick and Ravinder, for your lovely, encouraging comments.

Shernaz
18-Mar-2011 23:06 PM

After 'she' falls on the 'thorns of life' let her not simply 'bleed', let every atom in her body create a nuclear bomb to burn all the superstitions in the society, and make life 'brighter than thousand suns'. Lovely and vey emotive write.

kumarendramallick
18-Mar-2011 07:26 AM

Marvelous, poignant emotions, so thought provoking. Remind me of the lyrics "Aurat ne jaam diya mardon ko " penned by the late Sahil Ludhiyanvi for the film Sadhna ( 1958 ) and immortalized by Lata.

Lovely. keep it up.

Ravinder Malhotra
17-Mar-2011 23:29 PM