Only a Girl
by Sujata Venugopal
The momentous event isn’t a smooth one
The birth of the child, not easily done.
The pain, the pushing and grunting is of no avail
The scalpel, shining and sharp, leaves a clear trail
The cut, well worth; if the offspring is male,
But low, the masked voice clearly says
“Congratulations, you have a baby girl. “
A gasp, from all present, is heard.
“What? All that pain, time and effort
And it’s only a girl?”
“It’s only a girl.”
No one cares, so, no one sees
The little fingers curled in a fist
Nor do they hear the child’s cry persist.
“Don’t write me off, “She seems to say
“I am here and I’ m not to be hidden away. “
She will grow with this refrain
Ringing in her ears- “You are only a girl.”
The mother who knows this refrain well
Smiles her secret smile and speaks not at all.
Except when she feeds her precious child
She holds her close and bending low
Whispers, “You are mine and you my child can be all you want to be.
They chant their notions and do not see
You are woman. You are SHAKTI.