The unspoken words-Anshada Khachroo

Walking into a room full of people,

She is looked at through and through.

Embarrassed she looks at herself,

Left, right, middle everywhere she fiddles,

But can’t solve the mystery riddle.

What are they looking at?

She whispers to a friend on the side.

Your clothes are being judged,

And they want you to hide.

But how is it a problem, she asks,

With pain in her eyes and scared heart.

Huh!! The friend smirks and replies,

This is just the start.

Looking at herself in the mirror,

She feels like she is nothing.

Not pretty, not smart,

With tears rolling down breaking her heart.

But then she hears someone call,

Wiping the tears, she moves out tall.

Somehow, she gears up the courage to walk again,

Amongst the people so vain.

Eyes down and heart sinking at every step,

With eyes flooded with tears,

More than anyone can bear.

So, she just walks, not having a clue where to go,

Not knowing where to turn,

She just walks until her insides stop to churn.

Nothing happened is what people feel,

She is strong and made of steel.

But nobody looks at the crying heart,

Waiting to talk from the start.

Sleeping at night, she feels why she exists,

And starts to write down all the flaws list by list.

That crumbled-up paper is never seen,

Filled with the cries and pain of the teen.

From body shaming for being fat,

To scrutinizing every acne on her face.

From being considered too thin,

To being pointed out with no grace.

From judging everything by her color,

And pointing out options to improve.

She spends her whole life,

Just to prove.

To prove that she is worthy,

To prove that she is beautiful.

To prove that she is smart,

To prove that she has a heart.

But nobody cares,

It's just normal is what I hear,

From not only strangers but people near and dear.

Lose some weight and you will look good,

So go easy on all that food.

Apply some makeup to cover those scars,

And don’t let them see your flaws.

Gain some weight to look like a woman,

Huh!! Where is the book with all the laws?

Apply something and you will look fair,

Take this honey, eat it twice and your acne will clear.

Why don’t you hide your scars,

You should look like the bright stars.

You need to be waxed from face to your toes,

And tie your hair with rubber and bows.

Dress, Dress, Dress,

Because all you need to do is impress.

And not with your mind,

But with your front and behind.

Pull up, tuck in and let them pop,

Even if that makes your breathing stop.

Covering such blatant abuse,

With words like grace and pretty shoes.

Women have walked in the society,

Charming, graceful and sad,

Decorated with jewelry, smile and

A mask so bad.

Devoid of emotion, we feel it's okay,

To ignore, be rude and mean.

This is what we humans have started to thrive on,

And these cruelties go unseen.

Society tries to tame us like sheep in a herd,

Walking and talking the same without any unique voice heard.

A branch with a little bend,

A seed that needs a mend.

You have to bloom with everyone else, otherwise, you are an outcast,

Made to run wild into the abyss long and fast.

This is the right way and everything else is wrong,

Builds a sense of disconnect and an unhealthy song.

We all were put on earth to be different,

It was always meant to be.

Otherwise, our fingertips and DNA would be like,

The branches of the same tree.

But each of us is a different flower,

With different personalities and different powers.

Different in every possible way,

But still beautiful in every way.

To every crying heart, I say,

You are beautiful the way you are.

Universe made us all special in ways we don’t understand,

Like the scales on a leaf and each grain of sand.

So, don’t listen to the humans who just want to tear you apart,

Love yourself the way you are and that’s a start.