Hour my body was crafted, it was-not a skilled
goldsmith or the master strokes of Vinci’s or
Raphael’s nor was ever any
Michael Angelo .
But a humble iron-smith who did the menial
job, took his rusted hammer and a dagger
carrying stains of dried blood to chisel
me-over the blazing flames.
For I as woman were to be tried and tested , my
smiles were to be scrutinized from every angle
like dumb Mona-Lisa gilded in golden
frames of Parisian museums
My walks were to be controlled like those ugly
dolls with small feet, and pangs of thirsts
denied with lack of cascading wines.
Silent saline tears shed on altars of the suffering
suffering were to be shrouded with blackest
mascaras, and locked away in the folds
of satin pillowcases!
A sense of doom of a cruel persecution always
hovered, dreams were kept in check,secret
lovers were sailed away so far on those
dilapidated boats..
Prim and proper, a society lady I glided on the
white marble halls of my castle of gloom , swiftly
learnt to smile with cockiness at trivialities
while serving teas with burnt hands ..
From the golden window I envied the lives of few
lucky concubines , goddesses of their carnal
brothels, they kept their freedom by bartering
their rounded Alps and whiffs Of fertile
Amazonian gorges.
Envious I wandered why my freedom was sold for
few dinners and fake smiles,while scars on their
manhandled bodies seemed to glow my mutilated
heart was to be a forever mystery, hiddden safely
behind a giant sapphire.
While those unknown harlots burnt out by making
out with thousand lovers , I a godly woman simply
faded polishing a giant sapphire,
day in and out…
Beautiful piece dear 💛
Thanks a lot Nirant, I am glad that you felt it so. Truly appreciate your kind words!
Pleasure always for ur words dear 🙃
😊
Wow! This is great!
Thanks Winnie, you’re kind word mean alot to me !
My pleasure always, Tanya!
😊
Gorgeous imagery, Tanya! Beautifully poignant. I empathise with all the women who had/have such hard lives.
Thanks for reading dear. Yes some women have very hard lives, in a way we all live certain phases where we feel desolate more so if happen to be woman. Sometimes I feel men get away with too much, although I’m not a radical feminist!
Feminism is a word that has been perverted. What it really means is the right to have equal opportunities, rights and duties for all genders (women, men and trans). Your poem brilliantly expresses this lack of equality, where the issue of social class plus being a woman leads to a human being treated as an inferior. A clear example of this are the following lines:
“learnt to smile with cockiness at trivialities
while serving teas with burnt hands ..”
I also like how your poem develops further into the envy this woman feels for other women, “the concubines, goddesses” that are also subordinated to men though in a different way and through sex. At least, that is how I have interpreted the poem. “The godly woman” with a “mutilated heart polishing a giant sapphire” is a very powerful image. I have truly enjoyed this poem, Tanya.
You are spot on while I penned it I wanted to critique the virtuous middle-class sensibility esp regarding women! A society or a modern woman might be as subordinated as woman from economically impoverished backgrounds. I was also critical of the religious dogmas which look down on prostitution which many helpless women end up taking due to circumstances. Mostly I sensed such subtle inequalities in every culture.
I agree with you when you say feminism a perverted term, I feel no other group has a done as much damage to the cause of women as feminists. They have trivialized everything due to mere men bashing!
Good one. Very nice.
Thanks a lot Dorothy, for your kind read. Truly appreciate it!
You’re welcome.
🙏
Tanya…so rich, deep, and important.
You, my friend, have the means to craft and convey what is most important about us as humans.
So love this work.
Thanks a lot dearest Bill, I am glad my words resonated with you! Just my poetic way to take up some vices in our society! 🙂
Love it!!!!!!!!!!
🙂 !!!!
Such an elegant writing. The woman of substance and battering they go through. Beautiful
Thanks a lot Shantanu, how very kind of you. I am so glad your liked it 🙂
My pleasure always
🙏
Eloquent and beautiful. A work of art.
Thanks a lot, truly humbled by your kind remarks. Hope you are doing well!
Doing much better. Thanks
Profound. You glow with the sapphire that you polished and it still shines like the sun.
Thanks Ronin for your kind words! Sapphire indeed shines like a sun thanks to the fact that it’s very expensive 🙂
The poem is true and haunting in so many ways. Love the way to pen down what most of us cannot even explain in a sentence. I love your writing, but this one is the best ( for.me) you have written so far.
Thanks a lot for your kind words, truly appreciate it. This is one of my favourite too, I’m glad my words resonated! By the way, I can’t read your name here, may I know it!
You are amazing writing about women (and yourself). And very knowledgeable, like you’ve read everything. I am humbled 🤗🤗
Since I am a woman, it comes naturally besides,
Little femininity can tame man’s ego,
while stroking woman’s youth.
I can write about men too someday, while I have my hormonal world, I love my men…
Yeah, I’m good at writing about quietly despairing men…that”s my tribe…thank you ❤️❤️❤️
You are very good at writing about self-conscious miserable men, I usually don’t upload comments coz I see your lot of male and female readers commenting…and I don’t wish to put too many comments!