My Mama told me
The day you bleed,
You have grown
To be a woman now.
My Mama told me,
Do not pay heed,
To the hate seeds sown,
And the cold hearted vows.
But how can I ignore
The spiteful glances they cast,
When the blood is displaced,
From its original path?
But how can I ignore,
The murmurs that last,
In the place holy and chaste,
Where incurred upon me are wraths?
My Mama told me,
That my body is transforming,
Into a temple to carry,
A little numen in the future.
My Mama told me
That the crowd’s swarming,
May speak things unnecessary,
And try to tear up the sutures.
But how can I ignore,
That uncomfortable feeling,
I experience for five days,
Every single month?
But how can I ignore,
This pain freewheeling,
These cramps which my mind haze,
As these men snicker every time I grunt?
But my Mama taught me,
To always be happy,
To respect my body,
For I, a goddess embody.
And my Mama taught me,
To care for my health,
Look after myself,
And to not forget to love myself!
Author: V.R Kapse
Editor: Akanksha Mahapatra