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A Goddess Speaks

A protest poem, by Shernaz, celebrating Goddess Durga, for Different Truths.

glorified as the ‘divine feminine’
I bleed
with the honour of the raped
 
 incense sticks burn before me
I burn
on dowry pyres
 
 sacrificial offerings lie at my feet
I perish
in honour killings
 
 prayers for longevity rise up to me
I crumble
with aborted foetuses
 
hopes and desires seek fulfillment
I die
with the dreams of the exploited
 
revered in the sanctum sanctorum
I vanish
in voiceless protests of the abandoned
 
adorned, adored, idolised in stone
I grieve
reviled, defiled, mortified in living temples

(March 17, 2011, First published in boloji.com as editor’s choice: http://tapestrypoetry.webs.com/ ) 

Visual by Different Truths

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Shernaz Wadia
To Shernaz Wadia, reading and writing poems has been one of the means to embark on an inward journey. She hopes her words will bring peace, hope and light into dark corners. Her poems have been published in many e-journals and anthologies. She has published her own book of poems "Whispers of the Soul" and another titled "Tapestry Poetry - A Fusion of Two Minds" with her poetry partner Avril Meallem.
4 Comments Text
  • Roopali, thank you for reading. We can only hope that more people, particularly the ones who need it most will hear the Goddess speak.

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