Poetry: Mitali Chakravarty

Mitali Chakravarty

The Phoenix-girl

Each day I write, 

I write—

My heart bleeds,

Bleeds with pity

For the helpless child;

Manipulated, beaten, 

Miserable, hurt.

And yet I marvel how

The ashes of that

Smear of self-pity

Found strength,

Found mercy,

Found love.

I thank each day the Universe

For each song the child learnt to sing --

Of resilience,

Of strength,

Of wild imaginings.

I celebrate the beaten, the abused, the hurt girl.

I celebrate the spirit that drove her to create

A world — a world that could transcend all hurts.

Sing, sing with me O Earth

Sing, sing with me O skies

Sing to the spirit that defies

And her own story rewrites.

Glory to the God that gave her the song.

Glory to the God that gave her the strength.

Glory to the Maker who created challenges

To eternalise her Phoenix-like soul.

***

Sisterhood of women

We, in sisterhood, stand together

Strong, resistant, unbeatable,

Weatherproofed women.

Young and old.

Life passes.

Life thrashes.

Life laughs.

Life pauses.

For centuries and ages untold,

We meet, young and old,

Women through the ages,

Part of an unbroken sisterhood.

In our minds

We have steel.

In our hearts

We hold fire.

In our arms

We nurture flowers.

Mothers, daughters

Wives, friends, 

Sisters,

We are here to rise again.

Forever and ever,

The sisterhood never ends.

We are women of untold strength.

***

Bio: Mitali Chakravarty is a writer and the editor of Borderless Journal. She has been published widely in journals and anthologies. She writes and translates for harmony, humanity and kindness and looks forward to a world beyond all borders.

***

---

Setu, March 2021