Poetry #10 The woes of a woman

* One of the top ten runners up in the Instagram contest “Writing festival Season 1”

Asked the role of a woman in today’s world,
May be termed as mother, teacher, well-wisher;
But how far are these duties acknowledged,
And accepted by all, that woman makes life better?

Let’s start from the birth of a child,
Sullen faces meet when the baby girl arrives;
Rapid images of money and gold appear,
Numerous calculations the mind derives.

No matter how active and persistent a girl is,
Compared with a boy, she is a step behind.
When it comes to any physical activity,
She is unanimously treated as not that kind.

When the times comes for pursuing a profession,
She has to choose between very few options;
Not all fields of study are open to her,
Her female physique becomes her limitation.

Dependency rules her life from the start;
First it was the father who runs the show,
Next her husband comes to take her hand
Finally to the son she has to bend low.

Is she really free to communicate?
Does she really have the chance to express her views?
Hesitating to talk, she knows the outcome,
Conceited and complaining, so will people muse.

Justice to women has a long way to go,
She cannot even involve in a social cause;
When she wants to help a fellow being with money,
She is truly at a loss.

History says that she is created from a man,
Specifically his rib, the most crooked portion;
But sadly, her nature is also considered so,
‘She is brittle’ is the common notion.

Today we talk about liberation of modern woman,
That to man, she is no longer inferior;
But how far is this actually accepted by society,
That she can keep her head held high, with no fear?

~ Fahima Yousouf