A BIRD TO AN EAGLE

She was just a little bird, who had learnt to fly,

Look around keenly with her twinkling brown eyes,

Yellow threaded cotton on her figure so well,

A loving black mark on her broad temple,

Carefree and unknown of the wonders waiting,

In the blink of an eye, she became a stripling.

Her curly chestnut strands of hair fell on her cheek,

Blushed like the red tiny cherries, in cold and bleak,

Drowned in her own thoughts, sank into her own world,

Spent her stretch of time with the things she loved,

Days passed with the velocity of a striking comet,

Faced the menarche, the harsh rules of society she faced,

Blessings disguised as pain came, her body ached,

She had no choice, it was how her framework was shaped.

The years passed like drops of heavy downpour,

The same girl was now a woman, age somewhat around twenty-four,

'Skinny as a stick', ' Fat as a pig ' -- they would throw words at her,

Ugly, unpleasant, and constantly body shame her,

Young lads would stare at her as if they had found the gold ( the hidden treasure) -

Was it her fault that she preferred to wear her comfortable attire?

Getting across the crooked path of stones and thorns, she stumbled and ran --

But God had gifted her that spirit to fight back that was lacking in a man (perhaps)

She proved the myths wrong and battled with the hungry wolves and fox,

Bought herself a damn spot and proved to those dumb orthodox,

From owning a business to working in high-profile jobs,

Zipping the mouth of the old young slobs.

She found the grain of sand in her everlasting sandy beach,

Found her hope in her hollowed dreams, which were once out of reach-

Her very red pulchritudinous rose in ethereal veils,

Her very own lantern lighting her gloomy trail -

She embarked on a journey of ecstasy, love, and company,

Soon after she wore her wedding veil, bidding tearing goodbye to her family,

Moving alone from her very own home, where she took her first steps,

When she started to read out the digits and alphabet,

She wept more tears than there are galaxies in the universe,

Carried the weight of sadness like a world-bearing Atlas.

Soon after as the hand of the clock does not stop,

Rushing to end the days, and the years and go on nonstop,

She had in her body grooming a child, a very same one -

Which she was once a few years back, lightminded and full of fun,

Contractions, heart-wrenching pain running through her entire figure,

Giving chills through the spine, but would never at all bother--

Her; she smiled all the way and gave it all the love and care,

Innumerable sleepless nights, the ache in her body like a relentless storm,

But she endured every inch, every day trying to be in her best form.

She was now an entitled mother, she had felt something that no man had ever managed,

She was the creative force of the entire planet,

Life began in her womb and unconditional love started in her heart,

She worked relentlessly; often putting in more hours but--

Managing it all like nothing was meant to be done,

From chopping, washing, nursing, cooking buns,

To be a full-time mother, wife and daughter,  

She juggled everything to pure perfection.

Having one ear on the telephone, one ear on alert for her kid,

One eye on the stove, one eye on her paperwork from the office,  

Her palm caressing your brow when you are unwell, 

Hugging her kids to her bosom when they are sad and distressed

She rejuvenates you, and makes you come alive in moments of disgrace,

She stands behind you in your shadow cloaked in the warmth of your success,

Dumping her dreams in the dirt she uplifts her family,

Leaving all her passions aside she happily looks after her love and blood happily,

Time flew fast like a bee buzzing in the open atmosphere,

She had come a long way in her life, fulfilled all duties for dear ones to her,

She might have cried at the drop of her favourite ball,

Felt sad while watching a movie or in an opera hall,

But she also stood as a rock of Gibraltar, tall, impregnable in hard moments,

She has the power to bring a living creature to the planet,

This gives us every right to bow to her, respect her and protect her,

Not for she is weak or feeble, but she deserves --

For her sacrifice, selfless care, and endearment,

For never looking back and fighting for her dignity in every breath,

For she was just a little girl, a stripling, a Goddess in human form, a WOMAN -

THE FEARLESS, INDEPENDENT, STRONG EAGLE IS ACTUALLY DOMINATING HUMAN CLAN.

© Sattwika Chatterjee