shaoni das
There is a war inside me,
which will not tamp down,
until I tell you this.
When three girls stood around me,
while I cowered from their gazes;
until I took my first swing,
I was a coward.
I was a coward, the first time I saw
them doing the same to a friend.
For you see, bullies
don't do anything.
They just look straight into your eyes,
until fear seeps deep inside your heart,
to your stomach ; to your lungs,
making you nauseous.
Breaking your bones,
Carving out their laugh lines on your back,
their weight pulling you down
and crippling you from within.
At sixteen, when a stranger jerked
his penis at my left hand,
while I stayed numb,
I remember running away.
Until the next guy did the same,
and I inserted my hair pin right into
his thigh.
So, I will keep calling you out,
until your words will stop coming to me,
after I go to bed every night.
I will write dissent poetry,
until your laughter dies down in the nearby junkyard.
I will pull you out of your hole,
until you apologize for touching
me without my consent.
Until you stop commenting on my food;
My language and the dress I drape
myself with.
I will keep going until hope gets diminished.
Until I light a candle out of that hope,
plant a seed and grow a rose out of it.
Beautifully written. Kudos! <3
Amazing Shaoni ✨❤️