Equality in Today’s World
Equality in Today’s World
Bhoomika Uppal
Being born in the world of patriarchy
Equality still seems like a dream
Like shadows in the darkness, and
Walls of an empty house
Hiding millions of unheard screams.
I get abused; I get bruised
I get raped; there is no one to my rescue
Caught in the world of patriarchy and power
I walk with my head low.
Who is this ‘I’?
This ‘I’ is me, this ‘I’ is you.
Shackled and caged,
In boxes of pink and blue.
He/She; Them/They,
We.
Where is my identity?
I am not allowed to be free.
Things are not improving, rather getting worse,
Selfish predators are filled with lust.
No one is debarred from this torture
The justice system seems to be sleeping
They are busy with victim-blaming
“She is a woman; she should have been careful”
When a man becomes a victim,
Things then get painful.
In this world full of patriarchy,
Equality is still a dream
The innocent soul in each body screams.
It doesn't know the politics of the sexes and genders
Unaware of the world full of greed
And the injustices that render
Sons to be strong and daughters to be weak
As the newspaper tells stories of assault,
My feet get cold,
Millions of children are bought and sold,
Isn't it enough to be scared?
It’s this fear that would make us bold
The fight for equality is a long one
And cannot be fought alone.
Come out,
Voice your opinion
Reveal your identity!
Take it as a challenge,
As an opportunity
Set the screaming soul free
Yes, we will achieve equality
And this time you and I won't be dreaming!
Bhoomika Uppal is a Sociology major at Janaki Devi Memorial College, University of Delhi, India. She is passionate about academic research and doing social work by volunteering with non-governmental organizations. She is also a poet who likes to write about gender equality and the need for promoting the idea of equity over equality. Hasrat is proud to promote Bhoomika’s piece of work.
This poem was originally written for an inter-college poetry writing and recitation competition that was organized by the University of Delhi on Women’s Day 2021. The poet had won the second prize from among thirty participants. This poem is an extempore creation, written within a period of half an hour, where the poet poured her innate passion for gender equality into her words. This competition was a platform for a young poet where she could express her opinion on equality in simple and understandable language.
Picture: https://www.unops.org/news-and-stories/news/infrastructure-for-gender-equality-and-the-empowerment-of-women