what language does to a woman from small town
is same as what language does to elitist women
they say something and I believe it
big-town women, language-under-their-tongue women
you will see me through the lens of rich women
pretending to be allies, but rolling their r's in savarna women
not all women though, but women, of all castes
all kinds who know something about English that I don't
capitalized word for "your grammar is wrong" women
i own a job, you must be small women
big parties, growing doctors, raging scientists,
i just can't walk with you women
you are so minuscule, i don't even see you women
you fall ill, but die before you blame us women
so when you laughed at me for my bad face, worse english
for my ugly depression, acne cheeks, grey hoodie
and ill-fitting pants, falling, oiled hair,
you point at them women, tell me they are looking at me
for how you dressed women
selena gomze and not selena gomez
you from good schools, and i, just a villager
learning to say selena as saleena, you smirk
ask me to order tacos, i fumble you laugh again women
i, a sad woman, you pretty in your sadness women
i don't point at your ugly, but you do women
language fermenting on your lips women
standing tall, shoulder to shoulder with people from your class
unlike us women
crouched back, heads bowed down
gravity works wonders on our bodies
tell me, tell me, your trash secrets, your sullen letters
let me mock it, you petty woman
I fight for women but only some women
not you though, you don't match the aesthetics of my clothes women
so what if we are the same blood of fighter women
so what if our women years back learnt the traces of letters on a wooden cardboard
so what if witches were burnt because they had a mole, women
so what if you believe us women, us villager women, are so soft
even a finger on us can turn into compass for weak women
you wear good clothes, we just clothes, women
evolution, you say
branching into women of all kinds
but ours is at a distance away,
you don't introduce us, your fathers don't take our names
but "ye ladki"
women, you shout at us, because you own a status
the i don’t care women, mistaking rudeness for this is who i am women
language in your face women, such growth, such sad growth
whatever you surpass, is just litter women
“and i cried...for all of the women
who stretched their bodies for civilizations
only to find ruins”
of women who couldn't speak much.

bharti bansal

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Language of a small-town woman