I AM A GIRL

Do you know I am a girl?

I also have feelings.

I have needs to fulfil.

I grow through many changes: social, economic and biological.

But biological changes haunt me day in and day out.

My feelings give birth to the future.

My presence is the foundation of humanity.

When I am present, there is a charm in the world.

But my absence makes everything dull.

I desire to be free

But to be caught in customs and rituals.

I want to prove my identity

But to be forced to lose my identity.

Yes, I am a girl.

I have the freedom to live.

I have the liberty to think.

I have the freedom to criticize

And to be critical of everything.

Let me remain a girl

And don’t force me to be someone who I am not.

Yes, I am proud to be a girl.

I am the mother of patriarchy.

The Poem is written by Saniya Bashir from Mustafabad, Zainakote, Srinagar. Saniya is a Class 8th student and her hobbies include reading and travelling.