Poetry, Activism, 2 min readAneri ShahFeminism, Gender Roles, India

Ladylike

Poetry, Activism, 2 min readAneri ShahFeminism, Gender Roles, India
Ladylike

Tell me to be ‘ladylike’ and sit cross-legged.
I will spread them far apart, do a split,
And dance to the rhythm of your grimaces.

Tell me to be ‘ladylike’ and smile politely.
I will laugh like a hyena.
I will show the world, bared with 32 teeth, the true meaning of happiness.

Tell me to be ‘ladylike’ and stay at home past midnight.
I will turn into Cinderella and throw my one remaining shoe at your head.
All the while galloping towards freedom on a horse I ride better than most of you.

Tell me to be ‘ladylike’ and shut my mouth when not spoken to.
I will become the voice of a hundred million around the globe,
against your injustice.


Tell me to be ‘ladylike’ and marry the one you chose for me.
I will stay single all my life and go on adventures
You could never even think about.

Tell me to be ‘ladylike’ and follow in your footsteps.
I will become the leader you never were and lead the entire world
Against your misogyny.

Tell me to be ‘ladylike’ and stay at home taking care of it.
I will return as your boss, sit on the pedestal
You only dreamt of touching.

Tell me to be ‘ladylike’ one more time,
And I will show you what it is to be a woman

I am student of literature trying to find my place in the world.

Activism, 6 min readMariyam BegumReproductive Rights, Sri Lanka

The Life Within Me

I have society to fear, its grueling questions. While you might be the person telling me that it is a sin to kill the embryo growing within me, I also know you are among the people who would question my character and my chastity. I know, I shouldn’t fear the world created by the generations before me, but everyone existing in its aftermath hasn’t made it easier for me. Maybe you can’t be supportive of my decisions, maybe you’ll be in constant disagreement; nor would I ask you not to be.  But please, respect my being, accept my choices and do not decide them for me.

Activism, 6 min readMariyam BegumReproductive Rights, Sri Lanka
The Life Within Me
Career, Family, 3 min read, ▲Janani KilahariCareer Path, Education, Life Plan, India

I Am Not Sorry

Even before I could tell them what I really wanted to become in my life, I was already sitting in the classroom flipping the pages of a book which I don't even remember now. The girl who was topping her higher secondary had to miserably fail in the first week unit tests. The little hope I had within me was slowly vanishing as I attended test after test after test. And all I could do was to helplessly endure.

Career, Family, 3 min read, ▲Janani KilahariCareer Path, Education, Life Plan, India
I Am Not Sorry
Activism, 3 min read, ▲Hellen OtienoSexual Assault, Rape, Gender Violence, Kenya

Changing The Statistics

You see, the thing with being raped, or just generally being abused at such a young age, is that you find it hard to open up to people about it. I would know because for me, it started when I was about four years old. I really don't remember much about that time of my life but I can never forget what she did to me. Yes, "she".

Activism, 3 min read, ▲Hellen OtienoSexual Assault, Rape, Gender Violence, Kenya
Changing The Statistics