PARUL MAHAJAN
At 13,
Abuse lived so close to your sleeping place you almost thought it was a nightmare
But it was true
Nobody believed you because you were naive, you were still learning to make two braids and not getting better at it
At 16,
They brought you home
But home was a burning place,
Dreadful vacation haunting
Dresses were returned so nobody had to see your legs
Not when they were that long
At 18,
Why were you wearing your hair open?
Why were you going on stage and begging to be heard by your voice
Why were you always loud
Why were you always worried everything was a dream bubble and it’d burst because writing about love meant treason
It meant you’d experienced it
At 20,
You were ungrateful
Because you were so loved and yet you always had to feel like no one truly wanted you to be free
Why did you never feel safe in your own house
Was it a cage meant to protect you from the world or was it a burning place?
Was it a safe haven or the residence of abuse that nobody believed yet
Did you know how to make your braids by now?
But you were still woman, you were still always naive
At 22,
You’re the charm
You’re happiness
You’re everything they ever wished for
You’re perfect
But do you still want something?
You have it all but do you still want them to see you’re capable of desire?
Why do you inconvenience everyone by asking to be loved like you’re human
Why do you wish to be more woman,
Less convenience ?
Parul Mahajan is a 22 year old law student based in Delhi. She’s represented India at the Poetry 4 Peace Campaign 2022. She’s also performed an original piece at the U.S. Embassy as part of their DemArtcracy project. She’s greatly inspired by the works of Andrea Gibson, Sarah Kay and Maggie Smith. Her style of writing is contemporary and free form. She loves to perform spoken word poetry and being on stage is her absolute favourite thing to do. She also takes interest in singing and is currently learning at the Delhi School of Music.