You are Enough…!!

She came to me at twilight

Lively eyes with dark circles

Reeking of exuberant defiance

Discretely saying…

• I asked my daughter to look

what he’s up to with that whore

I shuddered at the imprints on lives

Engraved on souls forever

Like a delicate windchimes

Playing a dichotomous harmony

I said – “move on… for your own good”

The teary eyes blazed and blurted …

“Move on…? Where to?? “

“I once roamed fields and touched panorama

Now busy serving tea to my husband and his mistress

With a daughter tugging my saree…

Stopping my every step… where to move on??

My days spent in feeding them and cleaning their mess

Nights pondering hungrily- Am I not enough??

I implored -now you are feeding four?

She sighed with trembling hands

Hiding abuse and crevices

• Yes, bread to them and crumbs to us”

Relentless me asking…

Would you like to feed two of you by a job?

She smiled mirthlessly and shot back

• Who wants to wait at tables of marriage and bigamy?

If flinched my stomach

This sure is a cruel world encouraging women’s battles

To share bed, life, existence with same man

Let’s focus on feeding two…?

the request received with glint of an eye

Two woman holding hands

New friends and confidantes

She left with a plan and purpose

Her annexure daughter trailing behind

*

Painting: Satya Birudaraju