Lost Voices

When did I lose my voice?

Was it when I entered the wedlock?

Sh! Girls must speak in a subdued tone

Let alone lend opinion in the male zone

When did I lose my voice?

Was it when my better half took to sermonize?

Avoid argument, pay due respect to elders

Even if they err, even if they blabber

Where did my voice disappear?

Suppressed under regressive veiled remarks?

That my real job is home, hearth, birthing

That my career is a mere time pass

Where is that vociferous articulate maiden?

Debating, declaiming on women’s rights with conviction

Unsparingly questioning her parents for favoritism

Why taboos for daughters, while sons have all the fun?

In this milieu of lost vocals, perhaps I’m not alone

This perhaps is a grim reality in many homes

For peace in matrimony, they sadly choose to lose their voices

‘Coz patriarchy and male dominance are still stark vices!

Manpreet Chadha