Two Poems
The Southern Waters
What is this funny feeling in the back?
Oh! Did my knee let off a dreadful crack?
The electrifying fear of old age,
shrouded my existence, unready to turn the page.
A couple days later, the fear stays,
‘can’t I remain young forever?’, I helplessly pray.
But that infernal racket had nothing to do with fading away,
as I realized this was merely the beginning of a bloody soirée.
Calm down, my brethren,
there will be no bloodshed.
Just a giddy feeling in the gut,
And disgust clouding the head.
All that I spoke of,
is nothing, but a little thing called ‘PMS’,
in no time, chaos shall ensue,
over what we colloquially term ‘periods.’
‘Does it hurt?’, you ask,
I let off a bitter laugh.
I wish I could release the weight,
Possibly by hitting you in the calf.
‘I’m a valiant soldier’, I say,
‘a little pain does me no harm’.
‘I’m forever read for World War III,
For nature didn’t leave me unarmed.’
Every month, instead of presenting me with a knight,
my uterus gives me a fright.
‘Sorry for ruining your underwear!
But you missed me, aren’t I right?’
But life goes on, so I must digress,
for I can’t lay around like a damsel in distress.
But this petty menace does not let go of me,
Leaving magnanimous stains for everyone to see.
Despite obvious eccentricities, in the end,
I treat it like a returning friend,
because one day, it shall leave me too,
just like my fragile, precious youth.
Invincible
What they say when they look at me,
“That lovely lass, no less supreme.”
“Delicate skin, those pretty eyes”
These they say, are no lies.
But I know what they think of me,
She’s a girl, what need would she be.
Her job is to look after the household,
Look chic, stay pretty and be cold.
They judge me by my crimson curls,
In the ball, my courtesies and my twirls.
But I’m not as fragile as I may seem,
I’m danger behind that silver screen.
Whether managing it all or passing an order,
I can do it easy or harder.
The smiling façade is all they see,
‘Cause they don’t know the real me.
Sharmista Sen Gupta is a budding Indian writer, born and raised in the capital, Delhi. She has published content on Youth Ki Awaaz, with her articles on Education being featured under the #BackToSchool program. Presently, she is pursuing English Literature in Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi. During her free time, she loves to read, draw and occasionally play her guitar.
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