Voices of Me

I speak in the voices of girls not soft but bold,

I roar with echoes of every scar, every wound, every scold,

I rise in the chorus of the voiceless, loud and free,

I stand as the thunder demanding what once was stolen from me.

 

I speak for the child too small to understand her plight,

I roar for doctor on duty, violated in the night,

I rise for every sister crushed by fear of relentless fight,

I stand for those who fade away before they see the light.

 

I speak for those whose voices were buried before they grew,

I roar for the ones declared guilty even before anyone knew,

I rise for those blamed for violence they never chose to go through,

I stand against the world that asks “What were you wearing?” instead of “Who hurt you?”

 

I speak for daughters silenced at home and ordered to behave,

I roar for women groped in buses, streets by predator’s rave,

I rise with every girl bullied and trapped in comments she can’t see,

I stand against a world that blames “her”, while the harasser thrives free.

 

I carry the echoes of millions not just a handful or few,

Of Nirmala, Prakriti and all the other girls too,

Of the three year old girl lost in the world she never really knew,

All of their voices burn in my heart, I speak for them and for you.

 

This is not just their voice but the Voice of Me,

Louder than fear, stronger than rage and unbreakably free,

We demand accountability and justice until all of us can be,

Untouched by violence, fear and live in dignity letting this be the voice of us and not just of me!

-Smarika Pandey

image from: here,