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My mother’s words challenged my refusal,“What is wrong with the boy?” True, there was nothing wrong in him. Nothing wrong with me, either.
My mother’s words challenged my refusal,
“What is wrong with the boy?”
True, there was nothing wrong in him,
Nothing wrong with me, either.
We were just two boats that had been tied together
And told to cross the ocean of life.
Without oars, without love,
We were expected to survive, somehow.
He was shy, with a nice smile,
Made small talk and had a good job.
Left alone in the living room to talk,
Befuddled fireflies inside a burning lantern.
We talked of everything but love,
Two people pretending to briefly be friends,
Discussing our marital future like a business enterprise.
The air felt heavy, old and sterile.
In crisply ironed clothes, he looked earnest and sweet.
But he left me cold, and I left him tired.
We talked without communicating.
Knowing the rules, we played the game.
There was no fault in the boy
And none in our stars.
Surely error lies in seeking to control
Love, that immeasurable transcendental.
With this in mind, I choose my path.
No longer can life feel so arranged, so enforced.
My defiant ‘no’ unleashes hell.
The boy understands, my mother does not.
She threatens, begs, cries and cajoles.
My father looks on in disappointment.
Unwillingly, I leave the comfort of home
To find the peace that independence brings.
Image source: Still from Thappad, edited on CanvaPro
I am a proud mom to two beautiful little boys, loving wife to a darling man, and a grateful daughter of wonderful parents. Before taking a career break to be a stay at home mom read more...
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Dear Women’s Web Community Member,
You may have wondered at our being on the quieter side during the last couple of months. Thank you for your patience, and we wanted to come back to you with a detailed note on what’s been happening at our end of things.
When we first began Women’s Web, as a blog from one woman’s desk along with a few like-minded souls, little could we have imagined the heights that it would soar to. Over the years, Women’s Web has published over 20000 stories (almost all by women), empowered countless women with the ideas, community and resources to chase their dreams, employed hundreds of women in core and project-based roles, and in the process, emerged as the OG women’s community in India. It has also inspired many others to build communities of a similar nature, all enabling women (and other-underrepresented groups) in their own ways.
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