at the point where night bids farewell
she raises her head, crowned
by a pallu of sizzling red, gold
a slender mangalsutra enhances
her slightly inverted neck
the strongest of henna
the darkest of kohl
the boldest of kumkum
a piercing flame from the nath
as ittar fades into memories of
a thousand jasmine buds
crushed in vain
with the gentlest demeanor
she did but bide her time
sweet were her tears
what could she do?
he swindled even the salt from her life
***
pallu – the trailing end of a sari, red and gold are bridal colours
mangalsutra – auspicious necklace of black beads and gold worn by a Hindu woman after her wedding
kumkum – red/vermilion powder used for bindi on the forehead and/or applied in the parting of a married woman’s hair
nath – referring to the nose ring worn by a bride
ittar – perfume made from flower petals
***
It is International Women’s Day and this poem is a (spontaneous) dedication to all the women who understand the crushing of hopes, but never in vain.
***
This poem was inspired by @temporal3‘s prompt on Twitter provided by @omerwahaj
Crane
Crane
Crane
(Raised up by a Crane
Crown of the Crane
Craned her neck)
***
Image: Pixabay
SONYA KASSAM 
Sorry, Sonya, the previous “ouch” comment was mine, posted from my dad’s id! Apologies for the confusion! :)
LikeLike
Oh I have experienced the same with my different accounts :)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ouch! Sad reality in many cases, moreso in our part of the world.
But another superbly crafted piece, nevertheless.
LikeLike
Thank you, Kunal.
LikeLike
lovely and so nicely expressed
LikeLike
Hi Soumya. So wonderful to hear from you. Thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your interpretations made it come alive. Nicely written
LikeLike
Thank you, Bob. I wonder if you received my email from a few days ago…?
LikeLike
I have been back through my emails and do not find one that asks a question. Perhaps you could resend or be more specific. Bob
LikeLike
Dear Sonya,
Thank you for this poem which paints such vivid pictures and feelings.
I say that when (not if) this world in transformed in a positive direction, with violence curtailed, peace created, and healing spread, it will be by women.
All good wishes,
robert
LikeLike
True, never underestimate the power of a determined woman :)
LikeLike
How do you write such sentimental poems? This is every Indian woman’s story. You spotlighted them so well. Sonya, you’re brilliant. :)
LikeLike
Wow thanks Asha! Such a wonderful compliment from you.
LikeLike
Always my dear. You totally deserved it. I’m longing to read other poems now.
LikeLike
You’re most welcome to read my other poems 😄.
I am actually in the process of putting up an Index so it should be easier for you to navigate through the posts.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh well, then. I shall wait.
LikeLike
Hey Asha,
I managed to create the Index…finally! It was a lot of work, but long overdue. Here is the page link:
https://followyourshadow.me/index/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for letting me know it’s International Women’s Day. Your poem clearly expresses a woman’s plight. Wonderful poem. :)
LikeLike
Thank you for your feedback Ranu :)
LikeLike
He swindeled even the salt…..Wow,Loved this
LikeLike
I’m happy to hear that, thank you. I’ve been meaning to use “salt of life” for a while so I was pleased that I found an opportunity.
LikeLiked by 1 person