I’m A Woman – Unapologetically So! [#Poetry]

So many things that a woman is ‘not supposed to do’! It is time we stand up against this tyranny of men! I’m a woman, and unapologetically so!

Yes, I shout out loud.
Yes, I get mighty angry and throw things or even slap people sometimes.
No, I don’t smile all the time.
Does that mean I am less woman?
No, that means I am, ME.

Yes, I go out, drink, dance, drive – much more and much better than perhaps many out there.
Yes, I sit with my legs open.
Yes, I go for late night movies all alone.
Does that make me available?
No, that means I like doing all this and I don’t need a partner.

No, I don’t adjust my dress when my cleavage shows.
Yes, I wear a pantsuit like its made for my body.
Yes, I put on bright make-up and paint my nails flashy.
Yes, I loveeee sex.
Does that mean I am a slut?
No, that just means I don’t give a hoot to what you think.

No, I don’t wear a mangalsutra or a bindi.
No, I don’t touch elders’ feet.
No, I don’t cross my heart when I cross a temple every single time.
Does that mean, I am flippant?
No, it means “respect” and “love” for me is more to do with feelings rather than actions.

No, I don’t cook much.
Yes, I like my tea in bed.
No, I don’t stay up late nights till my husband comes back home.
Does that mean I am a bad wife?
No, that means I get tired and feel like being pampered.

Yes, I go out and earn loads of moolah.
Yes, I climb ladders faster than most.
Yes, I am far more ambitious than many others.
Yes, I want to touch the skies and buy the earth.
Does that make me a man?
No, that makes me a woman with the world below my feet.

Yes, I have a house-help to take care of my children.
Yes, I sometimes fail to pick them up.
Yes, I sometimes don’t go to their annual gatherings or sports meet.
Does that mean I am a bad mother?
No, that only means I need my time.

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Yes, I decided I don’t want motherhood.
Yes, I said I do not want to marry.
Yes, I said I want to have a live-in.
Does that mean I am a bitch?
No, that means I am a free-willed entity who can choose exactly what she wants.

No, nothing of this means that you can rape me, abuse me, torture me, burn me, kill me.

Nothing of this makes me other than who I am.

A Human Being.
That’s it.

Published here earlier.

Image source: flickr, for representational purposes only

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