by Aisha Kurlawala

editor mrinali jadhav

North, South, West or East,
Be careful, you’re surrounded with Beasts.
Jeans, shorts, burqa or frock, 
They’ll manage, don’t be shocked.
From an infant from the hospital bed, 
With tiny feet and limited med,
To the grave and dead body too,
Even a 90 year old body feels so new.
Sharp eyes in search of target, 
Lust and hunger of being naked.
Mamma wasn’t wrong when she said,
“Stay home girl, don’t wear red”.
Daddy knew the monster’s out,
And he’s on Fielding, a soldier on scout.
But are all father’s protective, say?
Or it’s just another body, another day?
Nights are unsafe, but aren’t the mornings?
Safety precautions and countless warnings.

Sorry we have to blow candles and pray,
And give them freedom to search their prey.
To let them jump gayly on you.
To let them torture and trigger you too.
To let them tear apart your dignity.
To let them question your integrity.
To let them control and play.
To let them take over and lay.

You failed as a daughter today. 
The dignity is shattered away.
You failed as a sister to support 
with your wisdom ready to unfold.
You failed as a perfect wife to be
To start a family careless to see.
You failed as a mother too
Like a curse for protecting you.

So, we’ll march, march until,
The victim is nameless and unstill.
Till her last breath spits out blood,
And her tears of sorrow comes down like flood.
Till her torn body makes no move,
And the law will still need to approve,
Till the culprits clear out proofs,
And the spirits mourn in aloof,
Unconscious she will lay there in silence,
And her family yelling in grievance.
With candles and protests on streets,
Hoping for justice concrete,
Till she goes dumb and numb,
And the world sympathize to fathom,
And one day, she will remain just a memory,
And her touch will just be sensory,
Hanging on a wall with a garland around,
'Hope', keeping her loved ones profound.
That day, she’ll merely be a girl,
Soft and tender like a beautiful pearl.
Nameless and faceless will she be,
Free from all the tortures ever after, till eternity.
That’s when the world will say,
“Everybody has a name”…
A name wiped out & cleared for real,
And now there’s no story to narrate in fear.
She'll lie unknown and unnamed there,
Her identity being crushed, but who cares?
Troubled and worried, we’ll repeat again,
To remind, she had a name to begin,
Till the shivers reach us & we'll pray,
Collectively together we’ll yell and claim- 
“Everybody has a name,
And for a nameless person, who will you blame?”