By Eyingbeni Hümtsoe-Nienu | EMN
Shame! Shame!
Shame the silence!
That hushes her pain,
Takes away her years,
And gives her tears.
She was fourteen when a stranger raped her,
They tried to abort the baby,
But it was way too late.
They gave the infant away to strangers,
Nevermore to meet again,
But the C-scar on the tummy won’t let her forget.
Stop! Stop!
Stop the shaming!
Pointing finger at her innocence,
Making it her fault,
Refusing compassionate action.
She was a minor and he was an adult,
He won’t take a “No” for an answer,
And forced his way on her.
When she protested, the elders said, “All’s fair in love; age and consent is nothing,”
They fined her a pig stating defamation,
And twice denied her right.
Stand! Stand!
Stand for justice!
She could be your girl,
Precious to the eyes,
But taken too soon.
He was her father’s friend,
Trusted and relied upon,
But a devil he turned out to be.
Deceived her with packs of candy,
Satiated his lustful appetite,
Put to death – her innocence, her life.
Speak! Speak!
Speak the truth!
Lies will destroy,
Hers is the liberty to live free,
Till monsters chain her to fears.
She is his wife’s daughter,
She thought herself lucky,
Could’ve been a blessing so rare.
But a voyeur in a fatherwithin her wallsis surely a dreadful curse,
Family tells her it’s her destiny,
She lives, but dies everyday.
Save! Save!
Save the girls!
Predators lurking openly and in secret,
Strangers, neighbors, friends and foes,
Who knows what becomes of anyone.
She was just a friend of his,
They shared food and jokes,
Took care of each other at all times.
Then the tides rolled, friendship code was broken,
A friend don’t grope inappropriately,
They don’t wander their hands up a friends’ blouse. Period!
Safe! Safe!
Ensure safety for all women!
Assaulters appear in all avatars,
Busy by day and by night,
Hunting for victims in public and private places.
They were young female travelers,
Seeking for a break from everyday tasks,
The stress of life just got worse for them.
Uninvited hands from behind and front,
Indecent slurs and filthy gestures,
It’s not their dress or the space but solely immorality unleashed.
Seek! Seek!
Seek those who would say #MeToo!
She is your mother,
Your sister,
Your daughter.
Silence and shame them not,
Justice and kindness they deserve,
Take stands to end sexual harassment.
Women and girls have had it enough,
The past may have treated them bad,
But the time’s up – women will fight and prevail!
(The poem is based on true life incidents as experienced by Naga girls and women. In solidarity with #MeTooMovement and Time’s Up Initiative.)
