‘She’

The Tyndall effect makes a beautiful pattern on her wall as she wakes up,  
She hears the soft rustling of the leaves and birds chirping outside her window,  
She takes a deep breath pondering what is in for her for the day,  
In a bright and chirpy mood, she gets ready and walks out of her house prepared to face any challenge,  
On her way to work, she reads about a tragic rape case on her phone,  
Her mind slowly processes it and, her senses kick in,  
Her rationality is fogged by what-if's and maybe's.

She realizes she has to be aware of her surroundings for her safety and, it makes her anxious the whole day, 
She fixes her dupatta every time she catches the wandering eyes of a stranger, unsure of how to react,  
She observes the predatory gaze of some men at her breasts as she speaks in front of them,  
She walks a little faster every time she is in an isolated place and, 
She checks over her shoulder a million times if someone is following her,  
It gets late for her to finish work and, she panics when she is not able to find a cab after dark,  
And, when she gets one, she can’t help but be worried if the driver would take a wrong turn,  
She looks carefully at google maps and doesn’t close her eyes though she is dead-beat.

At home, she finally finds the peace that she can rest without any of these worries,   
As she goes about doing the rest of the night chores, her head clears up,   
And after lights out, she can think clearly while lying on her bed,  
She feels upset that she has to be worried about this and tells herself,  
“I have to be safe but strong-willed.”  
She promises herself that she will hold her head high,  
Her heavy eyes can’t take it any longer and, 
She slips into a dream world with better hopes for the next day. 

~Jeana