‘Patriarchy’s Spell’ by Khushi Mehta
No one questioned when she picked up the car
But he was not given the choice to pick a Barbie with a star
She was questioned when she went out in the dark of the night
But there was silence when he threw acid in the broad daylight
When she cried, it was that time of the month
But his cry was said to be her brunt
They said her uterus was a part of her body
But it was weighed on the beam balance that’s become foggy
She blames him, He blames her
They never account each other
His choice is duty, her choice is rebel
They have become bound to the systems wicked spell
They assumed the foetus wants to live
They assumed it’s black and white and not various shades of grey
They assumed Ravan is the villain
They assumed women would support women
But after all these presumptions do you realize
That this poem is also based on assumptions
It’s not always her and him, there is also they.
She may have a she as her bae
It’s not always her uterus, it’s theirs too
Heroes and villains are deviated from the anti parallel virtue.
My happily ever after would be my found family
Theirs would be being happy financially
When will we understand the difference between reasoning and justification
You can ask why, but don’t expect me to justify
When we want to see each other come out of the shell
That’s when we’ll break the spell