The Cage Of The Role Model Who Never Errs…

They eulogise her in their living room debates,

Endorse her as a role model, who never errs,

When conversation thickens, they slyly profess,

How they crafted the Durga from the ordinary clay.

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They dole out tips and tricks to the miracle,

Quoting assiduously to their stunned circle,

‘Mix six tablespoons each of scorn and criticism,

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Add a cup of guilt-tripping, and the spell is done’.

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They boast of the incantation, its magical effects,

A bait at the ready to appropriate differences,

How it moulds her into an ever-whirring machine,

A Goddess donning myriad hats with equanimity.

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They proudly describe her versatile cape,

Complete with an instruction manual, intricate,

They hail a woman’s multi-tasking superpower,

As she glides through, juggling multiple spheres.

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She wears the chef’s hat, catering to every whim,

Adapts to the rebirth, as the baby is born,

She focuses resolutely, in the onerous cubicle,

Struggling to stay true to her multifarious roles.

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At the slightest slip, she’s judged and condemned,

Her behaviour is measured with an insatiable gauge,

‘Done poorly here, a terrible error there’ they adjudge,

Administering ‘heaps of dedication and diligence’.

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While they coldly dissect her blatant failures,

Behind closed doors, she sheds long-withheld tears,

She laments the years lost, the futile optimism,

And longs to break free of the ‘superwoman’ prison.