The Women We Failed – A Poem

A girl sitting in a dark corner,

she was trying to realise her dreams,

with the society burying her under expectations,

since the time she learned how to breathe.

Her head bows down in sorrow,

for in herself she doesn’t believe,

her heart has been crumbled to pieces,

for its drained of love and filled with insecurities.

There hasn’t been a day in life,

that she’s felt good enough,

the monsters of her failed past,

have been haunting her ailing heart.

So she cries herself to sleep every night,

and wakes up each morning with a smile,

with the stains of tears on her pillow case,

she rises only so that she could try again.

Try again to fit in to the so – called life,

to be considered beautiful and a delight,

to live up to society’s image,

to demolish every inch of what she truly is from within.

She’s turning into an emotional wreck,

hiding behind the perfectly done eyes,

struggling to keep herself maintained,

failing to fulfil the desires her soul contains.

Congratulations to us as a society,

for there’s yet another woman we failed,

she who could have done so much more,

but was restricted by the mind games we played.

But that time will soon befall,

the new little girls will stand strong and tall,

building images of themselves above us and beyond,

breaking any stereotype set for her at all.

And that is when our women will be liberated,

from the shackles of the chains our society created,

no work, body size or color will matter,

and no dreams will be too big or shattered.

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In the Name of Love…

They often say in life, everyone has a relation or relations, in which they’re absolutely and completely blind in love. Or if not love, then by the need or want of it. You’re so habitual to someone, that you overpower such lengths and extends, or indulge into such deeds, that you keep on loosing yourself day by day in the process. Because keeping that relation becomes so important, that you end up associating your entire existence and purpose in life with it.

There are innumerable things which we’ve done, continue doing or are willing to do in the name of that love. And sometimes, even in the name of hope or faith. Because pleasing that someone becomes so absolutely necessary, that we’re ready to bow down in front of them for anything and everything, and always end up turning a deaf ear to their every shortcoming and misdeed. Because the essence of love that you feel towards that person is just so strong, that you are even ready to go of your morals and values without any regrets.

And as a result, slowly and steadily, you begin losing your decisiveness. You can’t differentiate between right and wrong, and even if at times if you can, you end up ignoring your inner voice. You can’t stand hearing anything against them, and every person trying to direct you to the right path becomes a cold-blooded enemy. You begin distancing yourself from people around, just to keep that one person close to your heart. And all these sacrifices, in the fear of loosing that one person you regard as the centre of your universe and life.

We as humans are often afraid of the fact that there is this one relation we can’t do without. That if it’s ever lost, we’d never be able to get over it or overcome the sadness and voids it’ll leave. But what we do not realise is that life comes with no guarantees except one, that it keeps moving on. What mattered so much today, may be absolutely insignificant tomorrow, and the one who meant everything today,may just be a faded memory tomorrow. Because nothing is too superior to put before yourself and you are the only constant, who is going to be there through everything.

We’re emotionally so vulnerable that we tend to underestimate ourselves and forget the fact that a relation is made of two and not one. But there is nothing we cannot outdo and move on from once we have the will to. Your strength lies in your abilities, and nothing is worth having cross the line of your own self-respect. You are your own hero, and you will be your own saviour too.

Opinion and Influence

In this beautiful journey called life, every single day we come across people of different kinds. There are few who are meant to stay forever, while others are there for different wavelengths of time. But each one of them gets a part in the story of our life, just like we add to theirs. While some may take a single paragraph or a page in the book of  life, some are chapters who are meant to stay  through the course of time. As we grow, our stories diverge in different directions with different people, as sub phases of the main plot of dear life. And in this process lies the very beauty of  life, making it even more varying and versatile.

But with this diversity comes in the concept of acceptance, rejection, judgment and perception. We as humans attach notions with every experience, interaction and feeling. They say we have no right to form an opinion of someone based on how they appear on the face of it unless we know their story and step into their shoes. They say be as kind and compassionate as possible to the ones you interact with, for you never know what the other is going through emotionally, mentally or physically. Yet we end up judging and forming an opinion of anyone and everyone, be it consciously or subconsciously. Of a lot of people who you meet in life, you will find some who are warm, caring and emotional, and others who appear rather cold and reserved, some who are chirpy and happy, while others who keep quiet and enjoy the silence. Some may make you smile, while the others may leave you feeling frustrated all the time.

The combination of attributes in these people is never-ending, for two persons can be somewhat similar, but never the same. For people are made out of their past, situations, ambitions, feelings and their state of mind. And what matters is how you deal with such opinions, instead of imposing them or letting them out in the open, being human enough to keep them privately to yourself. For we may not know or realise, how one unkind word, gesture or reaction could affect someone’s self-confidence, push them deeper into distress and make them feel even more undermined. It could make them question their worth or life, and break them down completely from inside. We are gifted with the power of influencing lives, why not show some compassion and make someone rise?

Everyone is fighting a battle of their own, some which we might even be aware of, but we can never feel it in the same way as someone who actually deals with it every single day. For smiling faces often hide and the silent ones are strong inside. And if once, for once, we could keep our prejudices, opinions and preferences aside and see people in a new light, the world would be a different place. A better place.