BY CHANDRIMA PRAMANICK
Betwixt bent brows and silent laughter,
Shame trickled down your cheeks.
Tales of lost sunburnt tresses they reflected
Now naked, barren, and bleached.
Do I dare?
Oh, dare I dream!
Of bald women taking over the streets.
Streets that fear and shun
Every breath. Every action.
Every outrageous woman.
Rise then, and burn!
Spew blood. Burp and fart.
Flood their coop of purity
With your feminine fluids.
Smear their cliche with your filth.
Pollute their thoughts with your masculinity.
Dare I dream?
Of a sovereign
Not of candle marches
And dismissed protests,
Where dull knives carve my flesh on a walk home,
Or eyes ogle at the men that walk past my door.
Where female friends won't make you lesbians, and male friends, whores.
Do I dare?
Dare to dream
A world free from set norms of beauty.
Her unshaved legs. My pimple-puss.
'Get Slim in 30-days of Weight Loss' charts.
No longer condemned. No longer required.
Will there ever exist a Utopia of such desires?
Where women can bare their nipples
Just the way men do,
Or urinate on the roadside, neglecting public loo.
That is my dream-
Of dreaming yet better.
So that the mental health of the world is not in tatters.
You need not think twice over shedding your hair,
Or light a cigarette in dark alleys, in fear.
But that's just a dream.
A dream it will remain.
They will measure your hormones, not your emotions.
You will be called names- bitch and slut.
Your skin will be covered. Your mouth will be shut.
Acid on your face. Bullets in your hole.
"Produce humans" is what you will be told.
You will for ever be a category-
Beefy or skinny, black or pale.
Your intellect won't matter.
You'll be a commodity for sale.
But will you dare?
Not to rely on social media
To validate your self-esteem;
Dance to cheap songs
That sexualise you in all vulgarity.
Or dictate the same to this generation and the next?
Dare, must I say, to dream.
Speechless!
Each word is striking… And ofcourse, very much connecting…
Love, You are doing awsome :)
I am very much glad I didn’t miss out such a fortunate opportunity to read your poem. Each word resounds the tone of sad reality and the tone of female voice which is suppressed under the heavy noise of patriarchy. Best wishes for you and more power to your pen!
This poem is a weapon for change. And you are a revolution.
Congratulations for now and good luck for more….
Wow. Wow. And wow!
A perfect symmetry. Such powerful words. Such commendable writing.
I am going to screenshot this poem and keep it for all eternity. These words must not be forgotten, must not be lost.
Congratulations, Chandrima!
Great job.
So proud of you.
You must keep writing.
Its great to see you get published on such a wonderful platform.
I have always been a fan of what you can do with your pen.
Keep it up.
Warmest wishes.
Thank you Swastika for your valuable insight. Appreciate it.
Wonderful nice n wow—-these words are very little to weigh the enormity of your thought.
Yea, that our being " females " ,seem to take away our right to dream…but can those “patriarchal impositions” kill our inner most feelings which may take the form of dreams and peeping through any possible cleft may establish their magnanimous identities…quite very possible.
But for those who are in a dilemma…should read this poem and rejuvenate their inner potentialities…and prove themselves worthy.
So beautiful. So powerful. :)
Thank you for your positive feedback, Indranil Banerjee. The present is what chronicles your dreams of a better future. Facilitating higher standards of living, thinking and dreaming.
While we are all celebrating the poet and the poem, we tend to neglect the poetics of dreaming, of daunting odds, of surmounting barriers. You have written a beautiful poem, but if you were to take my advice, you ought to dare to dream the future rather than chronicling the present. Having said this, I should also congratulate you on this beautiful poem and the truth it embodies. Best wishes for the future.
You are Awesome… Keep writing…
Fabulous , hope to see more
Very brave. Very bold. Glad to see such a strong poet coming out of you. Best wishes.
Thank you Namrata for such a lovely feedback.
I am the lucky one. To have read it first in my whatsaap chat. It was lovely. It is lovely. Keep writing….
Thank you, Yadawanka! Honoured and humbled.
I love every line of this. Very courageous and much needed. Consider me a fan :)