Girl Child

By Swati Moheet Agrawal

Circa 1983 Mumbai,
the era I was born,
the time a girl child was frowned upon.

 

A squalling baby,
unsightly and hairy,
far from a fairy,
jilted and spurned.

 

Howling all night,
creepy and clingy,
nondescript features,
such a weird thingy.

 

Love and acceptance
I’d badly yearned,
‘lizardly’ was the moniker
I’d quickly earned.

 

Saraswati – the treasure trove of wisdom,
Lakshmi - the fountain of riches,
Durga – the embodiment of strength and resilience,
Parvati – the emblem of devotion and benevolence,

and yet,

 

only mother said:
my baby,
my baby.

 

Swati Moheet Agrawal from India is a poet and writer whose work has appeared in Sledgehammer Lit, Thimble Lit Mag, Cafe Dissensus, Modern Literature, The Alipore Post and Muse India among other journals. When not buried in books, she dabbles in decoupage art.