She!

Home they brought her man, wrapped in the flag,

Armed with a resolve, hard as a rock,

She marched ahead in life with courage.

In a gruesome way, they booed her son,

as he declared his love for a man.

She took on the mean world for her child.

They sniggered at her cherubic tot,

‘cause she conformed not to social norms,

She raised her girl like a warrior.

They despaired about her ageing dad,

Their mask of concern hid callous joy,

They forgot he had reared a brave queen.

They whispered behind her upright back,

as she climbed the corporate ladder,

But she had grown a spine and thick skin.

They trailed her like vulturous voyeurs,

Fed on her troubles like scavengers,

She soldiered on until her last breath.

They labelled her as the weaker sex,

Until she snapped and donned the armour

Of self-love and gave them the cold shoulder.

Narayani V Manapadam