You are Durga, You are Shakti!

Arise ladies It’s time we stepped ahead How much longer do you Want to scream silently Into your pillows at night When you can Shout it to guy Who grabs you on the bus? How many more nights Are you going to spend Wringing your hands And feeling like a dishcloth When your butt was felt up? How many more days Will you spend trying To duck that slimy hand Which feels your waist At the office? How many more days Are you going to dread When the guy on the street Whistles and gestures lewdly At you and then at your daughter too? Arise ladies Don’t let him take away A piece of you everyday With each catcall, gesture and paw Don’t let him make you feel Ashamed for being who you are You are strong, beautiful and Most of all, you are strength Strength to yourself and your lot You are the force that can Drown each of these of these guys With your emphatic NO! Say it now, say it again Louder and louder Till you put him down And make him realise You are not the Baby, Honey and Sweetie You are Durga, You are Shakti!

By Meenakshi Giridhar