I will read
I will write
What I wear–
I will myself decide.
In your boos
And hooting
In your shouting
In your mocking
I stand as oak
The school bell is ringing.
You spit hate
I sow strength
You close the gates
You snatch my rights
You don’t know my friends
I am the light
Who bleeds but still rises.
I am not the phoenix
Who rises after death
I am the past
I am the future
I am the present
I am the constant.
I am the war
You can’t ever win.
Don’t forget my name
I am the love
I am the girl in the hijab
And people call me resistance.
Moumita Alam is a poet from West Bengal. The most important element of her poetry is her voice of dissent. She questions all existential norms of patriarchy and oppression with her words. At the same time a heart full of love resides In her works. Her book The Musings of the Dark is now available on Amazon.
Featured image: Pariplab Chakraborty