she walks alone.
barefoot in the paddies of rice,
breaking her back for some precious grains.
she walks alone,
in jo’burg town, with a black eye,
abused by him the previous painful night.
she walks alone,
in the streets of neon hazed manila,
along the decaying hedges of rotten london,
on the crowded pavements of lonesome new delhi,
across the rolling plains of the vast bounteous pampas,
over the winding back-ways of the sloping and grimy favelas,
on the glittering pavements of sickeningly ostentatious jeddah,
through the blindingly false boulevards of that sad los angeles town.
she walks alone,
bearing the burden of mother and daughter,
of cook and sweeper,
of wife and mistress,
and always inhumane mans punching-bag.
she walks alone,
through your streets and mine,
standing up as she is beaten down,
loving a lot as the bruises on her face turn purple,
feeding the little ones with morsels of hastily cooked beans.
she walks alone,
in factories and in mills and in buses,
in schools and in brothels and in horrific places in-between.
she walks alone,
staying alive on the alms of the ‘charitable’,
violated by those who from the pulpit preach.
she walks alone,
my sister and yours,
my mother and yours too,
my lover and your beloved as well.
she walks alone,
caged by society in its invisible prison,
a slave of norms and culture and religion and caste.
she walks alone,
but she is the conscience of me and you,
screaming at us silently in hunger and despair.
she walks alone,
and though fearful of all you callous men she may seem,
be warned that she shall not be this alone,
she too dreams and thinks and believes,
she too needs and wants and loves and weeps,
in the silent night of complacency,
while impotent mankind sleeps,
she too is rising and in rising she will slay,
the beasts that in your men’s hearts prowl and lay.
she too will demand her rightful place,
for every mother, sister, daughter, wife, lover,
has a real, human face.
Very nice 😍😍😍
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many humble thanks, my friend
Peace ✌
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Welcome
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Hi Afzal, missed your writings. How have you been?
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hello there, friend! all has been well this side and hope likewise at your end. great to reconnect again. my very warmest of wishes to the both of you.
Peace ✌
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Not very well this side. But life goes on. Thanks.
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i am sorry to hear that, dear friend. deepest and sincerest wishes to you. love and hugs, my friend.
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Thank you dear Afzal. Love and hugs.
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love and hugs , my friend
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Scribble on.
Nandita a.k.a. Emotional Spaces. 😉
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thank you, Nandita! regards from Afzal
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This brings tears to my eyes,sorry…I’m a bit dramatic these days.haha!
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I am touched that it touched you, my friend. warmest wishes and thank you ever so much.
Peace ✌😊😼
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My comments seems to have disappeared so I write again
Parts of it is in hindi… Goddess Parvati had two forms durga and kali. Durga stands for justice and kali for destruction so I always believe this
“jahan durga wahan kali bhi hai
Durga ko kali banane main time nahi lagta
Sambhal ja o insaan
Vinash tera nishchit hai”
The last lines of ur writing reminded me of that. After being downtrodden and asking for justice there is going to be destruction soon and we all are going to see that
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Here I don’t preach any religion but I just wanted to emphasize on the change… Its happening slowly soon it would be a fire.. Lots of women have to believe in their self worth and independence.. When they do it will be a sight to behold
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I agree with you absolutely 100%, mere dost. I also don’t preach any religion and yes, we are seeing the change in mindset and that gives us all hope for the future – and as you say – when the change comes it will be a sight to behold.
dhanyavaad dost.
Peace Shanti salaam shalom ukuthula ✌
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Thank you afzal for understanding.. But durga becoming kali is what I have seen in me so I put forth my views.. I allow both of the forms to reside in me…
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I believe each one of us has their own unique way of making sense and understanding this world – as you say Durga and Kali both reside within you – and that is your personal experience that nobody can judge or question precisely because it is your intensely personal experience. And I respect that and as always my very warmest of wishes and regards, my friend.
Peace always ✌
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I talk only about the changes I see in me too.. Both forms of the woman reside in me
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yes, my friend Shalini, we can only ever truly understand the changes and experiences that take place within us on a deeply personal level. and your experiences are yours alone and you take ownership of those experiences. no one can take that away from you. it even goes further that those experiences can mould ones character. thank you for being so candid with your deeply personal feelings. it is not always easy to share such thoughts and experiences.
my very warmest of wishes, dost.
Peace always ✌
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I am a survivor afzal… I may not tell about my experiences in great detail as they bring nightmares but I can always tell you aftermath of those scars… And by talking about the changes I allow the scars on my soul to rest in peace, to acknowledge them and be ok with them… Our angst comes from the pain those scars bring, but i find that once I acknowledge that yes I have gone through what no child shld go through then that child in me stops crying… I do have my good and bad days… And God has been kind to me not to make those scars with indelible ink… But I will always speak from within because I can’t presume to know what others feel and think… I think you would understand what I am trying to say.. Not many do. World is filled with people running, running from themselves, running for themselves
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dear Shalini, your experiences that have shaped you as a person, and that have made you fight for your own sense of being is a deeply personal experience. I cannot at all be arrogant to presume to know all that you as a person have experienced but, and I mean this from the depths of my being, I think I do understand what you are saying and alluding to about your experiences. so true are your words about fellow humans always running – without appreciating that many of us carry the scars of experience that no one should ever have to bear. your openness is a testament to your courage and self-belief, and I too have witnessed some of the worst of human nature, perhaps not personally directed at me but with friends who have had their childhood almost completely snatched away from them. once again I say this, and without a shred of condescension, your inner strength and belief i am sure has not come easily, as you have had to travel the long and hard and harsh road to being able to open up about your experiences. and yes, your words are so true about the scars that remain and often haunt us throughout our life. people in general unfortunately don’t and are not willing to understand because perhaps they are firmly in their own comfort zones psychologically so all we can really do is find the strength, that you have found, deep within our souls. thank you, Shalini! thank you for your making me think and reflect as well. it is easy to scribble a few words down but to truly understand another person is another much deeper and meaningful and challenging experience. stay as true to yourself as you are and as for the world and people, as difficult as it may be, we just have to develop our own coping mechanisms that helps us find a modicum of peace within our heart and soul. as always, my very warmest of wishes, my friend.
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Speechless afzal.. You have put it perfectly
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it is i who is speechless, by your strength and residence. warmest and deepest wishes my friend
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Oh no, not me afzal.. There are far more who have been hurt far deeper. Some days I wish I could hold all the women and children in my arms, protect them tell the world to stop hurting them,, till I can do that, I protect the women and children of my world and I pray… I pray long and I pray deep to the powers that be, to the universe that is, that they help where no help can reach… They hold who need to be held, and they protect where protectors are needed…
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said as a true humane person. putting others who may have suffered so much more ahead of oneself. I deeply respect you and your thoughts. if only we had more caring and understanding people like you, I truly believe this world would be such a kinder and less harsh place. there are countless others who have faced and are facing unspeakable horrors on a daily basis that the heart just breaks. alas, we can at least make the small differences that even if it touches one person – it renews our faith in humanity as a whole.
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am sharing a scribble (and once again so much easier to scribble and say but hardest to do)
hope 2.0.
what are we if not tinder, unable to rekindle the embers,
of hope,
what becomes of us if we stall, if we choose to lay down each time we fall … …
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We become humans…
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yes, my friend … we become humans
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i believe the Hindi term “aatm-vishvaas” goes so much deeper and means so much more than “self-confidence” – i believe as the word “aatma” is used it means to have faith and belief in ones very soul and heart and the deepest recesses of our being.
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True, very true
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stay well, dost
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Well is a relative term but I will
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hit the nail on the head – a relative term indeed. I try and get through the days with that hope 😼
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Me too… Good days bad days… And we plunge on…
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plunge ever onwards – with sometimes hope being our anchor
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Actually afzal, I don’t waste energy on hope… If something needs to be done, I do.. Hope is always for future and who knows if we have one.. I do say the word hope I don’t believe.. I do..
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a strong, a very strong individual you are, my friend. and i say it without being patronising. onwards and ever onwards, my friend ✌👍
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You too be good, do good
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I shall do my very best, my friend … not try only but do!
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Hehehe it’s fine don’t think so much…
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😊👌
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I love the ‘Star Wars’ movies and in one of the earlier ones, Master Yoda, the guru of Luke Skywalker, tells Luke who says ‘I am trying’ … Yoda says ‘do or do not. there is no try’ …. the wisdom of science fiction fillums 😊
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Yoda is always the wise one
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😁👌😼👏
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Good days and bad days… We plunge on..
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Sometimes my messages disappear and I retype then they appear
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pataa nahin yeh kyon hota hai, mere dost. the wonky ‘moods’ of wordpress 😁
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Hehehehe.. Happens
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☺
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main samajh gaya, mere dost, aur it’s good to finally read your comment after it didn’t come through. aap joh keh rahen ho is something I deeply respect and definitely the signs are there for us all to witness. “virash tera nischit hai” resonates powerfully. thank you, dear Shalini, for bringing a totally different and thought provoking aspect! I certainly had not thought about that at all – and that’s the beauty of sharing each others ideas! it only makes us all wiser, while also showing us that so much depends on perspective. Dhanyavaad mere dost! and please always know that I shall not be offended as I believe in the robust power of the exchanging of ideas! my very warmest of wishes and regards from South Africa!
Peace uKuthula Salaam Shalom Paix ✌
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Wow! ☺️👏
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✌👍 humble thanks, my friend
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Hey hope u can read my msg afzal
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Jee haahn, Shalini … saw your message and responded. the little glitches of technology is something that we have to live with alas! warmest wishes and regards, my friend.
Peace ✌
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This is soooo true and nice!! This is so good…..
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thank you very much. ever so humbled, my friend.
Peace ✌
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Peace 🙂
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✌☺
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Bravo, Afzalbhai! And more power to the women of the world! Voices like your’s need to carry far!
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Dhanyavaad, Kunalbhai! And yes, more power to the women. May your voice also be carried with you excellent writing.
Peace Shanti uKuthula Shalom Salaam Paix ✌
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Peace, my friend
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✌👍
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This reminds me of something I read from the Tao Te Ching yesterday….”All things have their backs to the female & stand facing the male. When male & female combine, all things achieve harmony.” Beautiful poem❤️…I hope one day we will ALL understand how vital respect & admiration for women is! It is truly the key to our much needed balance!☮️☯️~Anne
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your words ring so very true, Anne … if only the testosterone driven male ego is tempered and through education (at home and at school) and when religions finally realise the fact that we are all equal and the same goes for traditional beliefs and cultural norms, will be truly stepping on the path to being truly humane. it is a travesty that in 2017 we still have the misogyny and abuse and violence perpetrated against women (and children)
Thank you, my friend and warmest wishes.
Peace, and we SHALL overcome!
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and thank you ever so humbly for your kind words about the poem. deeply appreciated.
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Always!❤️~Anne
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