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I am a woman: A poem by Dr.Paromita Mukherjee Ojha


I am a Woman
Truly so………………
My raiment holds eons of skirmish
Draped in each blood-caked fold
Every birth, every age
I have been hitherto subjugated, bound, maimed
My beliefs sluiced, my faith drained
My body mercilessly shamed
Did I cower?
Did I bow in front of those in power?
I never did relent
I never did repent
I reveled in my luminescent skin
I destroyed; bit by bit I devoured their pride
As Durga, As Kali I did their resistance override
As in the past, so in the present 
Every day I am reborn purging the scabs
Of centuries of apathy
I fight my battles in every household
 I am a woman,
 I refuse to be bound in societal molds.
I will no more let my soul be sold
In my bosom, I will glory enfold.