And The Conch Fell Silent…

A poignant poem which depicts the plight of a woman whose voice is silenced.

Dress looked pale and her hair unkempt,

Both depicted her emotions which ran amok.

Screamed sacrifice, the kohl worn eyes

How beautiful she wanted to look,

How she wanted to paint her lips red

And not like a person who survives in death bed.

How she wanted to dance in the rain,

How she wanted to let down her tangled hair

And make it breathe in the sun’s warmth.

She pursed her lips and her body moved,

Moved like it follows a military order.

Every move measured under the watchful eye,

The feeling of disdain in him pricked her

More pricked when she was told to set aside.

The vanity and look plain

Leaving her soul shattered and broke,

Her voice forever buried in the deepest of oceans.

How she wanted to be a butterfly,

Whose first name was freedom!

How she wanted to run away like the pleats of a saree,

Trying to come open from the clutches of the safety pin.

Poor thing, she got a vermilion which smelled dominance,

Sweet herbs will never bloom, rough winds will never soften,

The voice forever buried and the conch fell silent!

Image Source: Pexels

Saranya Iyer

I am a writer/blogger from Mumbai. I work as a teacher and spanish trainer

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