Swapna Behera, INDIA

Exclusive: Best of Women Poetry: Edited by Padmaja Iyengar-Paddy

WHO IS MY MOTHER?

the baby in the womb

where is the time for foreplay or euphoria?

sperms and ovum implanted 

nomadic dreams in money making zone

the woman is secluded for nine months

swallowing tonics under observation

husband at home of rags near the graveyard

cooking rice for four daughters

the mutual deal was to earn money from surrogacy

hormones, homophones and dream home in circle

Inside the womb a story of combination and permutation

Mr and Mrs came from abroad

tested the babe with penny eyes

alas! the baby has only one foot; so rejected

poor lady with tears

now   to feed the fifth mouth;

husband sans job

the baby asks ‘’who is my mother?’’

Is the baby a commodity?

now that she becomes a huge liability

the innocent tiny eyes with queries millions

sings universal song

I am life, I am life

but who is my mother...?

Swapna Behera is a former teacher, bilingual contemporary poet, author, translator and editor from Odisha, India. She has penned six books. She is the recipient of the UGADI AWARD 2019, International Poesis Award of Honor for Literature as Jury in 2015, The Enchanting Muse Award 2017, Pentasi B World Fellow Poet in 2017, The Life time Achievement Award, ATAL BIHARI BAJPAYEE AWARD-2018, Global Literature Guardian Award 2018, and world Laureate in literature from Kazakhstan. Currently, she is the National President for India of Hispanomundial Union of Writers UHE, Peru and the Cultural Ambassador for India and South Asia of Inner Child Press U.S.

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Best of Women Poetry -2020 :: Setu, March 2020