(Disclaimer:- No Gupta Aunties were harmed in the making of this poem….. except a few in my head.)
I was seven back then,
When her eyes first met mine.
Back then I was innocent; I was benign;
Just her type of prey, now I’d say,
For her ways got better every passing day.
Judging people up and down,
Turning smiles into a frown.
But after all these years I’ve grown,
Moulding ignorance into a skill,
I just want to ask her one thing-
Gupta Aunty, can you just take a chill?
The length of my shorts,
Is not to be a subject of your thoughts.
The blue highlights in my hair,
Did nothing to deserve your glare.
Whether my skin is dark or fair;
Is something you’ve never had the right to declare.
Am I too skinny or too fat;
There was no need to comment on that right off the bat.
Being too short or too tall in my prime;
You always treated that like a crime.
Feasting on vulnerability, you always went for the kill;
Gupta Aunty, can you just take a chill?
“Respect your elders,” they say
But the way you’ve treated people
I just know there’s no way.
For someone that always had lipstick on her teeth,
About my makeup, you sure had a lot to speak.
You loved ridiculing my career plans;
Remind me again,
How is it that you ended up between pots and pans?
Being a failed dentist; barely making ends meet;
Maybe your son’s new habits are best kept discreet.
I heard your daughter failed that test again
But keeping count of my male friends,
Hey aunty, is that a new trend?
If degradation is how you play,
Believe me this street is two way
But stooping so low isn't my kind of thrill, so-
Gupta Aunty, can you just take a chill?
I don't hate you; I just mourn.
Maybe it’s the high school phase, you've not yet outgrown.
The truth is, your words hurt
Even more than the situation of my growth spurt.
Your glance; It terrifies
Because it’s my insecurities they verify.
I vowed back then, not to care
But it's rather been more of a dare.
Asking you to stop; this is long time due
For I know at some point, you've been through this too.
Don't make anxious kids pop pills;
This exacting behaviour is not a drill.
Our growing bodies could really do with your cookies;
A compliment or two wouldn't hurt us rookies.
But even if you don't change,
Throughout these years, I've grown
Instead of wishing you any ill,
I’d rather say-
“Gupta Aunty, can you just take a chill?”
Author ~ Anushka Bamnikar
Editor ~ Anubhi