An urban and a rural woman share their pain, echoing the societal divides and the unequal suffering of women.
The Two met on a train:
They were both in pain.
Each blamed the other’s men:
A sheep they were in his den.
Said the Urban,
“You have no shame.
Before men, you are lame.
Your are too shy,
Even when you die.
Of books you have no know,
Unaware of technology’s how.
Your rights, cattle-d,
Your dreams, throttled.
The dust under his feet,
Depend on him to even eat.
You have nothing
To call your own,
Not penny nor
Children you grown.
Whole life, suppressed,
Like Dough, pressed.
Your face dark with smoke,
With no rest you choke.
Even the angels on you pity,
You descend from Eve’s city?
Replied the Rural,
“We are the same eyes
Fixed on life’s face.
You too suffer
Under the system.
You are slaves
Of his kingdom.
You are given rights
Only to grow his fortune.
The bread-burden was his duty,
He fooled you as your priority.
You race him in the office, and
Forget your God-given place.
For his pleasure of horse and car,
Your beauty is shown to all bare.
Your food, under your command,
Yet the family’s reins, in others’ hand.
Like him, with strangers indulge,
But into love, you cannot plunge.
Your man, day by day distant,
You cannot hold him for a second.
To pay bills,
Your sole concern,
No shame to delay
Life’s many fun.
You change your self
To be placed on his shelf.
While I suffer
Under my man,
You take orders
From strange men.
My sister! We are created
By the Lord fair.
But we are dealt
Everywhere unfair.
May Lord open men’s eyes
To our plight
And give meaning
To our lives aright.”
May 12 2010. Edit March 2024