Amanat - The Butterfly

The recent stories that are being heralded across India and the world about the Delhi gang-rape case is just one droplet in the ocean of such atrocities. Just the thought of what the innocent girl might have gone through sends a chill down my spine.  There is quite an uproar in our nation - We blame the government for doing too little too late, we blame the police for not doing enough. We seem to be quite good at blaming others - Bravo!. What is further infuriating is that people blatantly and abashedly point fingers at the girl for not being responsible. We need to change the way we think. The society mustrespect the 'bearer' of progeny of so many generations. We forget that we are humans first and then the rest. Humans first. This simple and amateur poem was just written down to pen my thoughts where the girl who represents 'us' - an average female..is metaphorically represented as a butterfly. The poem depicts the butterfly as what it is born to do and it does best and what the 'herd' or the society thinks it should do and how the confused butterfly loses her identity in all this mess.

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Butterfly Butterfly,

Beauty in sight.

Flutter away.

Dream away.

Butterfly Butterfly.

Doing your best - fly and amaze.

Such pretty radiance.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Shattered by shenanigans.

Butterfly Butterfly,

Run away, Run away

Fly away?

Choke! Choke! Choke! Suffocated by shenanigans

Butterfly.. Butterfly

Butterfly Butterfly?

A frail voice we hear,

'Hear me out, Hear me out.'

I, Butterfly, battered and bruised.

'Am I to fly?'

NAY! the herd and others say,

'Your wings are to beautify not fly - stay put, low you lay.'

I, Butterfly, dejected and refused

'Colourful wings have I, have I not?'

NAY! the herd and others say,

'Not anymore, your wings are stained, tainted - keep away, low you lay.'

I, Butterfly, confused and again refused

'I have wings, AM I NOT TO FLY?'

NAY! the herd and others say,

'You flew, see what you did, shame on you, shame on you.'

Butterfly, Butterfly, Hear us out

Muster your inner strength,

Look at the lantern,

You are meant to fly.

Free and in abandon.

Butterfly, Butterfly

Rise up and breathe.

God's work of art,

Freshness and hope you release.

Butterfly, Butterfly

You are not only to fly, You are not only to fly.

But SOAR up high.

Remember you are not one, 

But arise from multitude of four.

Butterfly, Butterfly, Hear us out

Butterfly is who you are.

Not many can do, what you do best - fly and soar up high.

--Pallavi Panicker