I Am Woman by Amrita Valan

I exist, not in her-story, amidst humankind,

But in shades of his-tory, almost apocryphal

Tiptoeing among heroes, of mankind.

A queen of Jhansi, a Padmini. A Sita.

Jeanne D’Arc, Ruth Bader Ginsberg.

Godiva. Boadicea, Rosalind Franklin,

Earhart, Chawla, Sunita Williams.

My ears echo with such She-roes.

They still spin sugar sweet chocolat,

In my name, silk slipstream, chance caress

Second place, second stream, second everything.

My martyrdom taken for granted

Burnt at the stake or canonised,

An apologetic afterthought,

Brave women are anomalies,

Scullery maids, witches, or saints.

But I declare, I am simply human, woman not Goddess.

Mother, wife, sister, daughter, friend, girlfriend, fiancée.

Colleague, boss, mentor, beloved, ex-wife, co-parent.

I am the life that creates and completes your existence.