In the kingdom of vices,
your mother is not the Queen.
But, you will be the Princess…
You, Oh Princess!… you will grasp after time.
That beauty is short-lived,
that life in the empire is momentary,
that child-like innocence is passing,
that all this is happening,
that you are mistakenly in the wrong,
that these ‘wrongs’ will meet you tomorrow,
that this present is not your future.

In the kingdom of vices,
before you take in,
all this will be gone.
And that present,
will be your only present.
You will abhor beauty,
you will write your past.
And that past, will be your only present.
Like your mother, you will be a mother,
like your mother, you will not be a Queen.
But, you Oh Princess!… you will bear a Queen.

-

Not until she'd let him go

With a sound of her anklets
And a thumping heart beat
She walked towards that door
Undoing what everyone once told her.
Moving the curtains in one corner
She braved the sunlight
Letting the sun caress her face,
with utmost balminess.

Every time she tried to resist him,
her anklets played aloud.
And then rising onto the very tips of her toes,
She stepped into her own steps.
When her anarkali skirt swirled around,
at the throb of her ghungroo rising
the golden bells fell one by one.
But nothing stopped her.

She continued to transcend,
she was still enchanted.
The sun was setting behind her,
but she’d never stop.
Not for the sun.
Not for the moon.
Not until she’d stopped repeating,
not until she’d let him go!

-

Drop that crown
Wear your armour
And rule!

-

If it's about looks,
they are talking about
your ancestors, not you.
But when they say
"You're kind"
It's for you entirely.
Take all the credit.

-

I still love my father
When I ask him To
enter 'his' kitchen at 60
I still love my husband
When i ask him to
Pick his plate
I still love my father in law
When I ask him to
Let my mother in law be.
Feminism is not a war
It's not fought with swords
It's basic human rights.
But what to do
Even historical woman warriors
Only got a statute later
We're fighting for Life
Before we become statues.

-

Glorifying and praising
Women for 'balancing'
Is done so that their
sons get to carry on
With their lives.
While you keep
Walking on that
Tightrope of womanhood.
Thinking you're so good.
That motivation is toxic.
Don't fall for it.
Teach the men
How to walk on a rope
The word 'balance'
Is not gender sensitive
They can walk way better
After they do,
Don't forget to praise.

-

I want her to look like me
But most times
I'm not comfortable
In my own skin.
I don't like my nose.
I don't like my teeth.
There is doubt,
There is fear.
But mothers are funny
They still want their kids
To resemble them.
This is the only way
They take revenge
For nausea and delivery.

-

The beauty of a mistake
is a lesson.

-

People are scared
When the focus shifts
People are scared
When you love yourself
People are scared of self love.

-

If we sit on the bench
And resolve our issues
To stop the war
Who will buy the guns?

-