Skip to main content

Murmurings of Married Women

 


I hear murmurings from the graveyard

In the West of the town, 

Of married women, 

Dead and disappeared years ago. 

I wonder what a time they had, 

What a life they lived. 

Their husbands weep and weep and forget them, 

They praise how they looked after their women, 

Covering in glittery gold, 

Buying them silly silks, 

Giving makeup for a make-over. 

But still, the women murmur, 

Their voices seem to break the edges of tombs. 

They force the sun to dry out the flowers on them quickly. 

I lowered my face and listened to the tombs, 

It seems their lipstick was revolting, 

Their eyelashes lifted to show the desperation. 

They talk about the lies they had to live through, 

In fear of strangers' pointing fingers on getting a hint on their unhappy marriages. 

They call out their abusive partners, 

Told me to look for the broken bangles behind the kitchen for proof, 

The blood-stained clothes that were never washed, 

Lay hidden from neighbours and relatives, 

Who praises the happy couple photo hung on the wall, 

Little do they know about the beast in the men, 

Who beat them up all the way to the studio for being late,

How they hid their wounded hand from the photographer. 

Some told me the stories on 

thrown away food, torn shirts, broken plates, abusive friends, and an endless list of sacrifices, 

That can be turned into an epic poem. 

All of them died of pretension

Of many years, 

Keeping up with everything

For others, 

Forgetting they too breathe, 

They too deserve love, 

But the beasts never allowed

Or changed, 

And the beauties start to fade away, 

Cursing themselves, 

Forgetting their names, 

Hiding behind kitchens, 

Breaking like a glass. 

But they continue to pretend, 

even in their tombs, 

As obedient corpses of respectable men, 

Who receive beautiful roses every month, 

And a pretentious kiss, 

which the women use to prepare

Graveyards for their beastly men, 

So the gates of the privileged otherworld would be open for them. 


A. C


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Lost Daughter - An Ode to Motherhood and Flawed Mothers

 Mothers are always praised and glorified for the sacrifices that they make and are called supermoms, if they find a balance with their family and work life. Movies have always portrayed mothers as either sacrificial or supermoms. But do all the mothers choose the same road?  Maggie Gyllenhaal's 'The Lost Daughter' speaks for all the flawed unnatural mothers. People who become mothers at an early age, who feel traumatized by the whole new version of themselves, who live in fear of losing their original identity in the run for creating one for their children, who make choices selfishly regardless of their children's needs. Leda in the movie, in fear of losing her individuality in the love for her children, takes a decision to focus on her career. She finds it as an amazing experience and embraces everything that she desired, peeling off the perfect mother image that she is supposed to keep.  When women are considered to have innate motherness in them, people don't re...

All I Want for Us is to Feel Again

  We were young girls Who used to play at the beach,  Hugging, we watched the sun drowning.  We danced till the candyman went home,  Our skirts swayed with the wind,  Cajoling us to stay a bit longer.  We never thought this picture would fade away.  I know this would never come back,  But I want to feel again.  I want to go back where my heart is.  All I want is to be free and feel again.  The colours and smell still linger with me,  I miss the happiness I felt,  The aches that watered me.  My skin misses the way it felt,  My hair misses the gentle kiss of the beach wind The bookstores and beach waters wait for us,  They send a thousand silent sirens to us,  When will we feel it again?  The recklessness of age,  the courage of freedom,  the music in our brains,  And the limbs that never stopped.  The yellow city lights Gladly kissing the fine roads,  absorbed our shadows,...

Gems

She is strong. Strong enough to break an iron rod. For the past few years she is differently different. A different woman than actually she was. Earlier she was that serious girl whom you will fail to impress at your very first looks,a time when she was supposed to be innocent. Seriousness was a markable feature of her chats, thoughts and actions.I have seen her crying, pouring her heart out. I have seen her shattered and broken.Lost with hopes.But now she is the Phoenix that had risen from the ashes.The things that she went through had turned her to view life as a bawdy show .Now she owns that artless childlike profile. She hides her pain deep inside her heart of hearts.Or  is she trying to forget everything, by taking life lightly? Everything that could not be forgotten.Iam pretty sure she hasn't forgotten anything. Such true gems are a rare view. Women like her maybe present all around you. But unless they feel themselves comfortable enough to pour their heart out to you, ...