C - Chandana

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Pa, you have taught me to be strong

You have never stopped me from reaching for my dreams

Ma, you have taught me that being gentle is a virtue too

You gave me hope when I was stuck in a bleak world

But today I see you haggling over dowry 

The price of my freedom for a happy marriage

I see my worth being measured in sovereigns of gold 

And the market value of property to my name

It seems oddly like tallying of a balance sheet 

You see me as an asset, but in their eyes

I'm nothing but a liability, unless I come decked in jewels

But even then what after I turn into an overused commodity?

My looks, my dreams, my values seems to mean so little today

When I stand in front of those so called prospective grooms

Appraising me head to toe, dissecting me with their eyes

My thoughts shrivel up and curl inside with each word they say 

Isn't marriage supposed to be a relationship? 

One based on mutual trust and respect? 

Or is it simply another business arrangement?

You have both taught me it is so much more

Today, please don't be frantic, for fear of my passing years

For the ticking of my biological clock 

I would rather remain as just the daughter that you both love

Than as the trophy wife who was negotiated on a whim 

Someday maybe I will find someone 

Someone who will not be bothered by your bank balance 

Or whether I have mastered the art of making perfect rotis 

So that even afterwards, I can continue to be who I am today 

Without my dreams turning into dust 

Without hopes being crushed 

Where I will be looked at with respect and love

And not just as a bejeweled garish clown or fool...

Linking this post to the A to Z Challenge.