Preeta Chandran, INDIA

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

THE WOMAN AND HER PENCIL

Mother, thank you for the pencil.
The first one you ever placed into my tentative hands,
hands that gradually learned to wield it perfectly.
You know, mother, I wasn’t just filling notebooks
or writing exams.
I was writing my destiny too.
Why, I was writing history itself.
Mother, the pencil was a power you placed into my hands,
that helped me break not just some glass ceilings,
but way beyond, into the skies itself.
Women in space, am sure you’ve heard of them mother.
Liberty. Equality. Dignity.
Revolutions, led by millions of pencil-wielding daughters.
And so we pencil-wielding women will not talk to little girls
about the length of their hair or skirts or so-called feminine graces, thank you.
We will, rather, place pencils in their hands.
And let the world watch the pictures they draw, the stories they write, the magic they create.

Preeta Chandran is a writer and a poet, and the author of the books, ‘The Chemical Drones’, ‘The Painted Verse’ and ‘The Portrait of a Verse’. She is currently the CEO of a digital media firm eWandzDigital Services. Preeta’s poems have been featured in several reputed International and Indian anthologies.She is a recipient of  awards from popular literary journal Muse India and her haikus have won the Best Haiku Prize in The Hindustan Times Brunch Haiku contests. She spoke on the fusion of art and poetry at the Kolkata International Book Festival, which was featured on Indian Television, Doordarshan.

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

Preeta Chandran, INDIA

THE SLATE

The slate had gotten

rather crowded with words.

Most were synonymous

with sacrifices or expectations.

Others smacked of taking the back seat

and fitting into a mould.

The words had, over the years,

become rather stifling.

And then, also, there were

just a little too many words.

After all, it is a tiny slate.

After all, it is mine.

Too many had taken

the liberty of scribbling on it.

So today, I decide to reclaim my slate.

I wipe it clean, and put just a few words.

The slate looks neat and the words are mine.

Some speak of love and kindness,

and some, of dreams.

And in fancy calligraphy,

I’ve chosen to write,

Don’t hold back; fly high.

THE GLASS CEILING

I’ve enjoyed the ride thus far.

Of course, at times, the going’s been rough,

I’ve fallen, I’ve failed, been mocked at and scorned,

I’ve risen, I’ve won, been cheered and celebrated.

I’ve learnt, and taught, and helped others climb,

And made the journey, every bit worthwhile.

But now, up here, what’s this glass ceiling I see?

I’ve heard there’s another world beyond,

But that, it’s not, for the likes of me.

Likes of me? I smile. I tap at the ceiling.

I laugh. It’s tough, but not tougher than me.

CLASSIFIED

Many shades, of life,

And the obvious pride,

In colouring them all,

Just right;

Many roles to essay,

Each part, to be played,

To perfection;

Some real smiles,

Some fake,

Some give and take,

The mother, the daughter,

The wife, the leader,

The conflict, the harmony,

The agony, the ecstasy;

Emerging triumphant,

Each role played well,

Except that,

Trivial one, maybe,

Where I tried so hard,

To be… me.

Preeta Chandran is a writer and poet, and the author of the books, ‘The Painted Verse’ and ‘The Portrait of a Verse’. She is a former Assistant Vice President with Genpact, and currently the CEO of digital media firm eWandzDigital Services. Preeta has been featured in International and Indian anthologies by prestigious organizations like The Poetry Society of India, Hidden Brook Press (Canada), Cultural Centre of Vijaywada, Guntur Poetry Festival, AuthorsPress, Galerie MP Tresart (Canada). She has won awards from popular literary journal Muse India and her haikus have won the best haiku prize in The Hindustan Times Brunch Haiku contests. She spoke on the fusion of art and poetry at the Kolkata International Book Festival, which was featured on Indian Television, Doordarshan. She is a B.Sc (Hons.) Chemistry, an MBA, and is pursuing a PhD in Management. Her works can be read on: https://in.linkedin.com/in/preetachandran, www.preetawriter.com.

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Women, Power & Creativity :: Setu, March 2019