THE SHRIEK OF A WOMAN

From the womb of the barren earth

In the rumble of the cataclysmic quakes

That flattens the skyscrapers and shanties alike

I wail in vain, proof of my chastity

For I am Sita

Can you hear me?

From the stony silence of the mountains

In the devastating deluge of an avalanche

That wipes away all remnants of my trespassers

I plead in mute agony for my innocence

For I am Ahalya

Can you hear me?

From the alluring casinos of Vegas

In the role of the dice of destiny

That reduces a prince to a pauper

I rage against the rape of my dignity

For I am Draupadi

Can you hear me?

From the shores of a foreign sea

In the devastating destruction of a tsunami

That washes away all traces of humanity

I lament in agony my abandonment

For I am Yashodhara

Can you hear me?

From the gory pages of history

Written in blood tipped quills of patriarchy

In the strangulated pleas of a Nirbhaya

I shriek and shriek and shriek

For I am every woman

Can you hear me?