There she was, wondering,
Beguiled at the simple joys of life.
She was snapped to reality with the pangs inside.
Desire, as she may, the banality of life,
Destined, she was, for the singularity of elite.
Choose, she had to between life and success,
Burdened, she was with gratification of prospects.
Run of the mill, she struggled to be,
Achievements, of hers separated her from reality.
Endowed, thought people was she,
Submerged, under a sea of aspirations was she.
Scared, she would underachieve,
Forgot, she, what she really wanted to be.
Standards, to be met of the society,
Plead, she would, to just be!
Intellect, her virtue was supposed to be,
Creativity, denied to her, would be.
Diligence, of hers would pay off,
Freedom of spirit, never offered a bite of.
No partner good enough, every relation an impediment,
A life she had, replete with triumphs, but no sentiment.
Expectations, her own, clashed with dreams,
Torn apart, between her potential and yearning.
Faced, she was with the eternal question,
Heart or mind, where lay the greater satisfaction....
Inspired after reading the book "Girl in Translation" by Jean Kwok, this is me thinking out loud, about society's expectations from people of intellect, of setting each person in a pre-defined mold, and how a lot of the times, women have to pick between a career and a family life.
Loved it ! How do you do this Amruta? so elegantly you have put forth such a relevant fact or should I say feeling in life...
ReplyDeleteKudos to you! :)
Thanks, Nabanita, for your kind comments. I am still a novice at poetry and it feels nice to hear that my poem could convey the right meaning :)
DeleteTough choice Amruta!! Lovely lines!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jayashree :)
Delete'the singularity of elite!' wonderful!
ReplyDeleteThanks... it feels good to know that line stayed with you, it is my favorite line of the poem too :)
DeleteVery deep and meaningful. A modern day girl's dilemma. Loved the third last and last couple of lines. Great writing.
ReplyDeleteThanks Saru, I am always thrilled to receive comments from you. And I am very happy that a part of my poem lingered on in your memory :)Thank you again for your generous comments!!
DeleteI hope and wish, one is able to make the right choices and get over this all
ReplyDeleteBikram's
Very true Bikramjit, after all it is happiness that matters the most! Thanks for visiting my blog :)
DeleteToo much of anything can be a bad thing.
ReplyDeleteCareer or Love or anything. Everyone needs to have a bit of every thing.
❤Not Just My Allegories❤.
Very true, Anisha... it is important to have that balance!! Thanks for visiting my blog, do come back for more :)
DeleteIt must have been a difficult poem to write, I guess. We all have to make some tough choices in life, I can totally empathize even if this poem was from a girl's perspective. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Akshay, I am glad you liked the poem and that you could relate to it. The poem was inspired by a girl's dilemma, but we all, face the same challenges of finding where our happiness lies!
DeleteToo much to balance, too difficult to chhose, too much to sacrifice, yet be happy!
ReplyDeleteWow, you just formed a pithy for my poem :)Thanks for visiting my blog!!
DeleteIm sure its something most women would easily relate to , i for one loved thee lines and kept going back to them : "Choose, she had to between life and success,
ReplyDeleteBurdened, she was with gratification of prospects."
It is heartening to know that others can relate to this prose. Thank you, I was really humbled to read your comments!
DeleteBeautiful artistic expression encumbered with a just snap. Nice post indeed.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your appreciation, do visit the blog for more :)
DeleteLovely photograph.
ReplyDeleteOne in the front and one in the rear, guarding the young ones the right way.
Thank you, I am glad you enjoyed the pictures and the poetry!
Delete