It all starts in a jest,
When you feel that serious touch on your chest;
And by the time you understand
Your mother tells you, that your family knows that man.
'Girls are supposed to be careful,'
Are the words in your mother's mouth
The solution to such problems
No one tries to seek out.
The culprit is that man
Whom you have thought to be,
Your friend, your cousin, your saviour,
Your so-called "brother" indeed.
'Girls are supposed to be careful',
You are taught this-- right from your first breath,
But the boys who are growing with you, are
Exempted from such rules instead.
Stay quiet, forget everything, stay indoors,
Just pretend as if nothing has happened at all.
You are expected to show such behaviour
So that your family is not riddled with shame
But, has someone thought about that poor soul
Which goes through the terror, fright, and pain?
'Girls are supposed to be careful',
Are the old aged thoughts of the society
But somewhere, they are also not to be blamed,
as these are the principles of toxic male superiority.
Girls are not objects
Why don't people understand?
Give us a chance, I swear we'll prove to you,
That a woman is no less than a man.
The society would have been different,
The girls would have felt safe,
If the mothers, instead of teaching their daughters to be careful,
Would have taught their sons to BEHAVE.
- Areesha Ahmad
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