I struggled to be a good girl:
To my family
To the society
To the street dogs.
I woke up early
Prepared the tea,
Woke everyone up
And made the breakfast.
I readied myself for my job
And put the lunch into my bag.
I walked a few distance
To save a little money,
And fed the dogs
As I passed them in a hurry.
To my colleagues
I behaved nicely,
Although some were rude
And some forever angry.
I declined the offer
To my promotion:
It’d take me to another city,
But I can’t leave my family.
I rejected the men
Who were willing,
Although some of them
Were quite appealing.
Love is still a taboo
In our society,
And I can’t prefer my feelings
To my respected family.
I refused my friends
For their late night party,
To upheld the family respect
I have to return early.
I crossed the murky streets
Of the rough rude boys,
They hurled me comments
To which I didn’t reply;
But just adjusted my dupatta
Over my slim shoulders,
So that my exposure
Don’t provoke them further.
The bus was crowded
And the train a little late,
But I reached my home
Just in time.
It was a tiring day,
Yet I took no rest.
I did all the household chores
And prepared the dinner.
Then I sat to wax my body
And curl my hair:
For they always want me
To look nice and pretty.
I finished a little work
And submitted the report,
The stern Boss of mine
Is very strict with deadline.
After dinner I made the bed
And washed all the dishes.
I filled water into the bottles
And kept them safe,
For they might need it
In the middle of the night.
Then I sat with them
Before they went to sleep,
And helped them complete
Some unfinished tasks.
At the end of the day
I pretended to be happy,
For smile is what
They always wish to see.
Late into the night
I had a craving for coffee,
I tip-toed to the kitchen
For my family lay asleep.
Carefully I tried
Not to make any noise.
In my desperate attempt
To be extremely quiet,
I poured the boiling water
On my soft tender palm.
I gave a loud shriek
And then broke a cup.
The sound was loud
And everyone woke up.
I was scolded hard
For not being up to the mark.
With my head hung low
I took all the blame,
And deep into the night,
I cried in silence;
Howling at a distant road
A lonely dog gave me company.
But soon my tears refused to flow
And sleep again came to my rescue.
Next morning I woke up early,
And began my journey
To be a good girl
All over again.
Writer: Sanchari Das
Artist: Angana Sarkar
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