If you write, smash it out on social media, or create fantastic video, nominate yourself or a friend here for The Orange Flower Awards 2020. Last date to apply – Jan 12th
A young woman, looking back at her life, and the way she has been shamed, and labelled, and the wounds and scars of all that – do read further to find out more.
One more instance of someone telling me how to live my life
How can I be calm when I’ve been dictated all my life?
And this isn’t only about that
It’s about shame. Another reckless accusation
To instill shame
It is this that wakes the devil in me
Boils my blood till it seeps through the skin
Reminds me of the internal bleeding
Of when my mother shamed me
And called me a slut, I lost speech
She ripped me apart so carelessly
It took so long to tear myself from there
But today I realize that it still lies bare
Sore, septic from unhealing
It took just a pinch to unleash the all-consuming pain
Now I have rage,
Not for her but every single slave of the society
Who shame rule breakers, who demean outlaws
Who try to tie me down
Who think they can tell me what to wear,
Where to go, when to come or to leave
How to speak, how to please, what to want and what to need
When to hold my tongue and choke breathless
They have the audacity to tell me how to live
Not anymore they can’t
For too long I’ve borne these shackles
For too I’ve been silenced
For too long have I lent my life to others
So long that I forgot it was mine
They started knowing it theirs
It’s time now to take the reins back
To the ones like me
The outcasts of society
The shamed and condemned
Remember your claim
For the rule breakers are who bring social change
Reformers of tomorrow are the Rebels of today
Image source: a still from Naam Shabana
Writer, poet, feminist, mental health survivor and advocate
I Was Bullied At School For How I Looked, And It Left Me Feeling Deeply Shamed And Frightened
It’s Won The Oscar; Now Let’s Make Sure Our Girls Are Never Shamed For Periods
5 Reasons Why I Don’t Want To Be Like My Mother, Even Though I Love Her!
The ‘Sense Of Shame’ That Leads To Silencing Of Women Despite Violence At Home
Get our weekly mailer and never miss out on the best reads by and about women!