Nandita pens a powerful woman-centric poem, dealing with drudgery, domestic violence and more, exclusively for Different Truths.

Why do I often feel and see noise,
instead of hearing?
The noise like modal stasis push past a cluster
of feelings in an odd-angled morning light,
sieving the darkness therein.
 
The choking noise of the city, in its constant
cacophony, rattle voiceless dreams.
Anxiety hums in half- baked dishes and static gruelling,
a woman sweats, her eyes inexpressive,
doesn’t she need a recess in between?
 
A sense of bravery shrouds, as she chokes
her dreams to death,
she lives thousands of these asphyxiating breaths
releasing one atom of oxygen at a time,
believing her family would be fine!
 
She scurries with her dal, rice, curries,
her children can’t go hungry.
The scanty leftovers and her meagre earnings
are a gush of happiness waiting in her shanty dwelling.
 
A lazy abusive husband, and three mouths to feed,
a tough task indeed!
Without any rest she offers her shrunken breast
to the toddler, the satisfaction on his face
gives her broken dreams new wings,
for a mother, worth more than many more things!
 
Every time I walk past the makeshift canteen,
I feel her pain, see the throttling screams
she tries to hide.
There’s no strength equal to the will of a woman
who decides to take the world in her stride! 

Visual by Different Truths

Nandita Samanta

Nandita Samanta is a poet, an author, a reviewer, an artist. A parenting and relationship advisor, she is the secretary of Calcutta Creative Confluence, Cultural Convener & Literary Coordinator, ISISAR (W.B.) Her writings feature in many international / national anthologies, magazines, webzines, and journals. Many of her poems have been translated to different languages. Her poetry collections are, Scattered Moments (been translated into French and Bengali) and The Trapeze of the Mind (Kindle Edition).

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