Grandma is a Feminist

Grandma sings but grandpa is tone-deaf.

She sings about the birds, Gods, the act of worshipping.

Grandma didn't fast for grandpa this year,

Prioritising her own health,

All to find a "feminist" granddaughter cheering her on.

All this while,

All these years,

I never once noticed that my grandma has been more of a feminist 

Than I have ever been.

Having never received education herself,

She always pushed us on,

Cheering us on,

Praying for our studies before our health.

Grandma can't write in English,

Yet she taught herself a few words by catching on our pet phrases.

Maybe it's time I quit writing about her and offer to teach her instead.

Isn't it absurd?

I have taught underprivileged students as part of volunteer work,

Fought against patriarchy on social media time and again.

Not once, however, did it cross my mind 

Tha

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t all these years,

I have denied her the opportunity to learn a language she only covertly accesses 

Through the veil of her own hesitation and curiosity!

"Not at my age", she shyly brushes away new offers and opportunities,

Yet it took me so long to realise that a tiny push,

A gentle nudging in the right direction could have led her to being educated in a language of her choosing.

The more I look at her wrinkled skin,

Her greying hair,

The more I choose to stay by her.

I never quite figured what to gift her to match her benevolence.

But now, I know better.

She's going to hesitate.

She will protest.

But this time,

She'll join in our conversations in English,

Barring the need for us to use other languages for her convenience.

She'll be proud, I hope,

Of herself,

Of the curiosity that thrives better in her than in most college students!