International Women's Day 2019 Poem by narayana aghalaya

WOMEN ONCE UPON A TIME
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to meet an aunt, one went.to the kitchen
nowhere else -school, picnic, road or market
at home, they.slogged; callous men didn't.pitch in
but went for gambling- it was a racket

often, women.were beaten black and blue
when husband is drunk, how can wife.reason?
how can wife feed kids - of them a.long queue-
while on self, men spent.income, all seasons?

women had no voice, surely.no justice
enslaved at birth - till death slavery.spanned
their health.poor - life was.on a precipice
their Hitler-like husbands, none dared to.ban

bitter truth -have no doubts-long long.ago
in lawless times, to justice, men didn't bow

THE MODERN WOMAN
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plot soon.became.clear, women went on revolt
votes.came in handy, to make shrill noises:
'dismantle.this all male plot - bolt by bolt;
when it is do-or-die, don't expect.poise '

when floodgates opened, girls enrolled.in droves:
medicine, technology, fine arts, sports
into second and third place, men were shoved
'miles and miles to go' -sums up our report

women raced ahead - by leaps and bounds
put in charge, they did things better than men
in schools girls excelled - doesn't that astound?
did well at workplace.too- with.all their ken

the.modern woman, sees no glass ceiling
men rue - loss of.top spot in the billing