EVE ' The spirit of Life'

Your head is bowed in reverence
You touch my feet and worship.
You place me on a pedestal so high
It could make one oh so dizzy

You compare me with Mother Nature,
Oh Janani*, giver of life!!
You endow me with divine virtues,
The all encompassing spirit,
The ever flowing fountain of love.
With each adjective so spoken,
You laid another stone on my tomb.

Your claim, that I can enfold any depths of grief.
You proclaim that I am strengthened to bear insurmountable pain!!
Your belief that I am the epitome of forgiveness,
All these lavish praises are like an ever tightening noose.

You promise me a fulfilling life
But right in the womb you crush me.
You tell me to brave all odds and face the world,
But in each shadowy corner you lurk,
To rape, to abuse, to torch me.

You convince me that I am your pride, your honor
And then you shackle me down or hang me in the name of tradition.

You admire my intellect, my art, my entrepreneurship,
You drive me to the peaks of success
And then you turn around and accuse me of being heartless and cold.

With lethal weapons you tear up this world, for Egos to feed,
From this misery, yet again, step forward I Will
To shamelessly beg for peace and mercy for all
And with all the burden placed on my shoulders
Try again, I Will, to make this world a beautiful place to live in.

So don't just brush me aside by paying tribute to me for a day
'Cause I know I truly Am the Spirit of Life
Whether acknowledged or not.

Janani* - 'Mother' in Sanskrit

Jay Nair 7th March 2012

A voice I raised in an attempt to speak to the patriarchal society of India, where urban & rural women equally face the brunt of being a woman. A rage that rose within me I expressed it on paper on the eve of World Women's Day.

Do not celebrate our existence. Let us have our flaws and shortcomings, let us struggle for our foothold, no need for the praise when we achieve, only to condemn us if we fail. Just let us breathe and live a normal life like our counterparts.