Shush

"I want to go to school.”

SHUSH!

“Can I go out with my friends?”

SHUSH!

“I want to vote.”

SHUSH!

“I want to work, earn money.”

SHUSH!

“I want an equal share of money.”

SHUSH!

“Why should I get married so early?”

SHUSH!

There is silence everywhere. A woman here is being taught how to

behave, she’s being taught how to live. And all she can do is follow.

Her lips have been sealed, her freedom has been locked, and she is

living in a mere cage with nothing but rules, and expectations: But

most importantly, INJUSTICE.

Why should she look down at a ground full of sorrows, when she can

lift our eyes into a sky full of stars, a path filled with opportunities?

Her wings of freedom have been set on fire, and yet she hesitates to

grow new ones? That one word “SHUSH!” has made such an impact on her, that she’s scared to break free, to face the world, and to look

at herself in a new light.

But enough of this. She cannot take it anymore. She cannot let

herself get exploited. And she will not.

A fire starts within her, energy rushes through her blood, and she

stands tall. She stands tall- not with high heels, but on the pedestal

of courage, and strength, and breaks out of this cage.

She breaks out of it, flies high into the sky, soaring through the

clouds, the soft breeze across her face, the warm sunlight bringing a

smile on her face.

There she goes! The woman who is free, the woman who is strong,

the woman who is ME.

~Soumya Gupta