A Responsible Mother~ By Shweta Duseja

Standing in a corner of the room,
Hiding herself behind the curtains,
Scared at the sound of footsteps,
That someone might drag her. 

She hides herself in the wardrobe,
Is dead silent so No one could hear her, 
But is scared again what if mum
Opens it and finds me here. 

Shivering in fear, she comes out of it.
Pleads her father to allow her to live.
To let her study and not send her away
Like her sisters who now cry everyday.
She tells her mother it’s a crime,
But is still dragged to her deathbed
By custom-ridden family which can
Sacrifice the daughter but not traditions. 

Now she is just a dead body that walks,
Listens, works and follows orders.
She has no life; still a girl and has two girls
To care for.  But, unlike her family
She has heart and will to make her
Daughters educated even if she has to
Fight the world. She would not marry them
In young age. She is a responsible mother.


Author Bio:
Shweta Duseja is a Literature student. She started writing poetry when she was in her first year of graduation. Her first poem was inspired by a question that she was asked when she was about to enter a second relationship. It made her think about the male-dominated world and the rules that it formulates for its women folk to control her sexuality. She won a poetry competition with this poem. After this, she knew she can pen down her feelings to touch people's hearts while at the same time she can relieve herself of the traumatic thoughts. She more or less writes on identity issues.