Day 30: Me or Who am I?
The sum of all the things I do
All the roles that I play
All that is expected of me
Is that what makes me, me!
The things I want to do but can’t
The words that sit unspoken on the tip of my tongue
The dreams I crush with my own hands
Do they also constitute me!
Am I lost in the roles I play
Am I made up of bits and pieces
Do you see the real me in my words
Do they successfully camouflage real me!
Why am I one at the cost of the other
Why does one take precedence over the other
Why should I be faced with a choice
Where I have to forsake one for the other?
Why does the mother take a beating
When the writer in me triumphs!
Why canโt I be multi-armed like goddess Durga*
To vanquish all my fears and doubts
And wield a pen, a ladle, a nappy, a cursor, a needle
All at the same time with the same dexterity!
The dilemmas I face everyday
Weaken as well as strengthen me
Dichotomies define and mar me
I ask the questions and give answer too
And I realise as I take stock of self
I am to you what I am
Because of the way you perceive me!
*Durga- Durga is depicted in the Hindu pantheon as a goddess riding a lion or tiger, with many arms each carrying a weapon.
She is the warrior goddess, whose mythology centres around combating evils and demonic forces that threaten peace, prosperity and dharma of the good. She is the fierce form of the protective mother goddess.
(Written for OctPoWriMo)
Hey, dichotomies define each one of us! We are a bundle of contradictions wrapped in this human skin and it’s for the world to accept us the way we are. It’s tough dealing with it from the inside I know, but tis the truth! Well written P!
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Thank you, Kunal. Your words bring comfort. I guess once we accept ourselves, the world’s acceptance ceases to affect our well-being. Thanks once again.
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Love this! So much turmoil in just trying to be one within our roles.
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Yes, sometimes at peace with self, at others wresting with self! Thank you so much for seeing the turmoil.
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A pleasure.
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Fave picks: the final 2 stanzas, full and rich, Punam!!
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Thank you so much, dear Z!
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My pleasure, and you’re always welcome ๐ โค
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Good one.
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Thank you!
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We are multifaceted. The trick I think is to let all of our personality aspects survive together with equal opportunity.
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You write like Durga, Punam. It is enough. ๐
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Tracy, your words humble me. ๐๐ผโค๏ธ
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It’s deserving praise, Punam.
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โค๏ธ
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This is a wonderful poem. You have described the challenges every woman faces. We are the nurturers and lovers and everyone must have our attention. Only the little piece you hold back is what you get. When you can close off to all of those who take so much from you, you can excel with your writing. Men have mastered this since the dawn of time! I can relate to everything you said โค๏ธโบ๏ธ Well done!
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Christine, you have gone to the heart of the matter. Absolutely right. Thank you for your generous words and for sharing your insight. ๐๐
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My pleasure Punam. Keep on writing. It’s OK to be a little selfish with your time, โค๏ธ
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โค๏ธ
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Women have more roles to play now than ever before in history. Much more is expected and demanded of them and if they are not fortunate enough to be able to engage a household staff,stats are finding they are suffering health wise.
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Exactly! We are expected to do so much more than before! Striking a balance is important for our physical as well as mental health.
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And I am what I am
each day, facing into contradiction,
affirming my heart’s desire,
my essential self,
just for now, between all else.
A poem that challenges us each to be true to ourselves. Thank you.
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So true! Thank you for sharing your thoughts and you are welcome.
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I think you just may be a… โmulti-armed like goddess Durga*โ
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Aww! Thank you! ๐
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Lost in the roles I play…Yes. We are warrior goddesses.
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So we are, Bojana! We wouldn’t survive if we were not warriors!
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Absolutely.
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Brilliant depiction of most women’s dilemma today Punam. One thing i have realised that it’s impossible to please everyone. So as long as you accept yourself for who you are, the rest doesn’t matter.
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Absolutely, Radhika! We have to stop trying to please others all the time. Self-acceptance is the key. โค๏ธ
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The ‘who am I’ question. Am I just what you see or am I all those things that are buried inside me? Holds true for all.
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So it does! We hardly think about ourselves or give time to self.
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Yes maybe. But even if we did would we ever know ourselves. I think most of us would still only believe that we know ourselves.
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Yeah, I know what you mean…
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That is a brilliant rant! You are an amazing poet, Punam. Many times I find myself introspecting between those lines.
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Aww Sunita! Thank you so much, dear for your wonderful compliment. ๐
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an awesome rendition that resonates deeply with all women … who are we, the pressure and the pieces … nobody can hold a light to you the goddess โค
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Thank you so much, dear Kate! โค๏ธ๐๐ผ
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Waah re.. This piece just blew away my mind, got so immersed.. Awesome..๐โค๐
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Thanks a lot, dear! ๐๐ผ๐โบ๏ธ
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The human condition, resonates for me in that there are those yearnings that are just out of reach, I can see them …
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Beautiful writing.
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Thanks a lot.
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