Thursday 14 May 2015

I am Born Again…By Sunaina



The splendor of the fortress lures me not
For I hear the cries nobody has heard
Of faces nobody has seen
Of souls that were not let in this world
It was good they were not born here
Yes, this is not the place to be
The walls are high and impregnable
They know not love, they know not sympathy
They are heartless, relentless
They care not for me, or for you
They stink of ideologies that are dated
They emit foul stench of a gory past
They are stifling, suffocating


But they cannot trap me again
I once was meant to be born there too
To my lovely mother who weeps alone
In the corner of her room
Tears shed for me and my sisters
Tears shed for her unborn daughters
Tears shed for her children who were murdered
My fingers itch to wipe her tears
But I cannot reach her
I want to set her free
I want to liberate her soul from the callous tyrants of her home
They see her as just a vessel
To carry their blind dreams
Of sons, of legacy, of lineage
Could I not have done the same?
This place is darker than death
This place is gloomier than hell
No, hell it is, if there be any
Devils they are, if there be any
When they set me free, they thought they had killed me
But they failed
The walls that could not cage my spirit now stand motionless
They can no longer hold captive my soul
I see a ray of light in a nearby village
The trees that sway there beckon me
Their leaves tell a saga of happiness and hope
I fly there
A home waits for me
Yes, they wait for my birth
Yes, they wait for the birth of their daughter
To this place I will go
In this place I will stay
A place where humanity lives
My only regret is for the mother in the fortress
Who can see no light
I hope she is born again here
In this place where they love, yes, love daughters
Where walls are made of love, not rage
Where hearts are not hostile to daughters
I can speak no more
For my time has come
To be born
This time to be born to be loved
I go
I call other sisters too
They will follow me to this village
To this haven
To this heaven
Come see me there
Where I will fly like a bird
And sing like a lark
See you there
I go
I go
I am born again...... 

I was inspired to write this poem after reading about female foeticides in the state of Rajasthan. Two things stood out in my mind. One was the village Devra where daughters had not been born for almost a century and the other was the village Rajasmand which found a unique way of celebrating the girl child. I wrote this poem from the perspective of a daughter who is unborn. You can read more on this in my post here

About me

I am a stay-at-home mother of two kids. I hold an M Phil in English Literature from India. I taught in a college in Delhi for a brief time when I got married and came to US. I have recently started writing and maintain blogs that go by the name http://istoppedtosmellarose.blogspot.com/ and             https://meredeshkimitti.wordpress.com/. I also blog at and write articles for http://www.top10reviews.in/.

 I write short stories for children, poems and my take on everyday things in life. I take inspiration from my kids and love to read a good book. Life gives me ideas to write - it might be a kind gesture, a look of love, a tear-drop, a painting lying in a corner, an old couple walking hand in hand - they stimulate me to pick up the pen.

Image Credits : unsplash.com

19 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. thanks Chetan for giving me the chance to express myself....

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  2. Beautiful ... Thank you Chetan for this ..
    Its poignant Sunaina ..

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Kokila.....I am glad you liked it.....

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  3. It's touching Sunanina, I don't know when this will stop! Or, will it ever stop :-( ...

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    1. things change....times change....just as the village of Rajasmand has given us hope, there will be others too who will get the message......

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  4. I heard that beautiful girl's voice through your words, I wish I could help her someday in someway

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    1. We all can help by raising our voices, by educating people, by highlighting not just the evils of society but also the winds of change......

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  5. It's a hard hitting post and can't get better than this...I feel sad about my country - child illiteracy, abuse and female foeticide are such dreadful incidents.
    Wish we think before we say, Achche Din!

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    Replies
    1. True Alok....but things will change just as the village of Rajasmand has given us hope.....

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  6. Very well written post! Great job bringing out such an important subject! Kudos!

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  7. Beautiful post, Sunaina. Nice to know about you too.

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  8. A very sensitive well written poem.The problem you have highlighted happens in Tamilnadu as well.Haryana is already facing the difficulties of "no brides" due to long years of unfriendly approach to the girl child.

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  9. I did not know that Tamil Nadu faces a similar problem. Hope that change comes soon.

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  10. great information share about born again . Also visit

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