An untold story: A poem by Nisha Tandon

They have silenced your muffled cry yet again Ma
And your womb has been exploited to bear them a son
I know it was not your fault when they took me away
This was my destiny, for them I was just another one

Domination is at its prime in this patriarchal society
Where women have been victimized for many generations
I know you are not to be blamed for this felony Ma
You just crumbled under pressure and expectations

I know you must have mourned silently and cried bitter tears
When you felt me die in your womb before I witnessed the world
You must have been angered as a part of you went with me
And for life you were left emotionally crippled

Don’t  blame yourself Ma and agonise over the guilt
It’s difficult for me to see you suffer in this consuming pain
I wish I could wipe away your perennial tears and whisper softly
“Ma  don’t cry, I shall be born to you again.”

They have abandoned me in a bottomless abyss
But for you I shall remain an inseparable part of your soul
All my desires were suppressed and dreams unfulfilled
And for this world I shall remain another story untold