I’d like to apologise
For a crime so great
That it demands punishment severe
I am sorry
For being born
With the wrong chromosomes
In my defence, I wasn’t asked to choose
‘Would you like an XY or XX?’
‘My personal recommendation is XY,
It’s hot in the streets, I hear!’
I apologise that my chest isn’t flat
And that my hips form curves
I do understand that my body
Invites attention,
In fact, demands it!
So sorry if I didn’t take your crude passes
With a demure smile
But I know better now.
I apologise for my presence
In the public space
It must take a lot
Not to pounce on me.
So sorry that I provoke
The caveman in you
Every time I step outside.
I apologise for demanding
That my sister gets rights
‘cause, in the end she asked for it.
After all, it was her fault
***( I have been following the Delhi rape case closely. This is a poem I wrote after reading a woman’s comment that Nirbhaya (not the real name of the victim) shouldn’t have resisted the rapists and should’ve just given in to their attacks. I was appalled that a woman could say such a thing. The writer is a final-year student of Media and Communication studies.
Her email: >nazreenfazal92@gmail.com )
