01 January 1970

Poem: Another Day

Weekend Reads

Poem: Another Day

Richa Tilokani writes a poem for Outlook

A woman sitting in the darkness of a room
A woman sitting in the darkness of a room Representative Image/Getty Images

Another day. The same old story.

Another face. The same fate.

A new voice. A familiar victim.

A new light. A familiar city.

 

Shadowy, like a murky marsh

Sinister, without a single ripple.

Smothering her innocent dreams.

Trapping her blameless heart.

 

In a prison of dark insinuations.

Its whirlpool of hate and lies,

Burning her very soul with,

Pointed whispers, harsh questions.

 

What was she wearing?

Who was she with?

Why so late at night?

Was she not thinking?

 

The haughty guardians of morality

Enjoy this sick, twisted game,

A hide and seek with truth.

With no rules and zero mercy.

 

They ignore her quiet screams of pain.

Which may make the headlines,

But they never reach the hearts.

And it’s back to the blame game.

 

Spewing their chosen brand of venom,

Reducing her to a mere statistic,

Burying it all under half-truths,

Hidden in plain sight. And forgotten.

 

Till it’s time again,

For another day, another place.

A new face, with the same fate.

 

Another day, then another one.