You sneer at those scars
Etched on her skin, so conspicuous
Like a constellation of stars!
Do you know?
She’s the same woman
Who saved that little kid,
From catastrophic fire back then!
You despise her actions
Of educating young minds,
As societal taboos and distractions!
Do you know?
She was a victim of marital rape
Prey of a sexual predator
Despicably trapped, gasping to escape!
You bully her everyday
For she cries often, eternally depressed
And finds it hard to shake those emotions away!
Do you remember?
That headline on the newspaper
“Three dead in a gruesome accident”
Those were her parents and her brother!
You are so quick to judge her!
“Infertile”, “Sterile”, “Infecund”
Multifarious titles on her you confer.
Do you know?
She suffered tragic miscarriages
Not one but three in a row!
Owing to the wretched actions of some savages.
You jeer at that hefty roll of flab
Hanging over her waist and thighs
That confidence in her, you ruthlessly stab!
Do you know?
She has been silently suffering,
All this time, affected by PCOS
Unable to bear any offspring.
Every single woman you meet out there
Hides a story, grisly and dark
That haunts her often, too distressing to bear!
Do you know?
Your insensitive jibes shatter her conviction,
Can we not harass her anymore?
Instead, support and lessen her mental affliction!
A Biography of the Author:
Sunita is a software engineer by profession and a poetess by passion. She hails from Odisha, India and loves composing poems, short stories and flash fictions of all genres. She is a voracious reader too and loves reading novels, fictions, non fictions and poems as well. Her literary oeuvres have been published in multiple Indian and International zines and websites like Pure Haiku, Wolff Poetry, Dream Noir Journal, Poets Choice Zine, Indian Periodical, Poesis, Wales Haiku Journal, Chrysanthemum (German Haiku Magazine), Spillwords, For Women Who Roar, Formidable Women Sanctuary, I’m Not a Silent Poet Magazine, Drunken Pen Writing, Writers Cafe Magazine, Wax Poetry Magazine and many more . She has also received multifarious accolades from various literary forums like ArtoonsInn Poetry Parlor, Beyond The Box, Literoma, Penmancy, The Passion of Poetry, The Pink Comrade, Pen Wonders International, Literary Creations, etc. and has also been selected as the winner of “Literoma Young Achiever Award 2021” for her outstanding literary contributions. Her hobbies include travelling and cooking. She loves dogs and is a proud owner of two (German Spitz and Labrador Retriever).
Message to the Readers:
My poem titled “Do You Know?” is a hard-hitting reality which I wanted to bring to the light. Many a time, we come across women who are body shamed or jeered at due to their inability to bear children or because of some scars and bruises etched on their skin. We do not know the story behind them, yet we have the audacity to mock at or pass insensitive remarks shattering their confidence. Through my poem, I want to request the society to live and let her live as well, respecting her decisions and being empathetic to their situations. ♡ Sunita
My Pen and Soul 
I love the word usage to describe the pain she was feeling. So often we hide behind those words of hurt but don’t realize those words are the mirror to find the healing we need to recover from that trauma Great Job I was impressed and also very touched by this poem
Thank you so much ❤️
Glad that you could connect with my poem and feel the emotions portrayed in this piece 🤗