Stuti Manda

From the women of the past, 
To the women of the future. 
We write to thee, 
As a note for you to heed. 
You must have heard the stories of princesses, 
Being rescued by their princes
Though it is of utmost importance that you know, 
That you don’t need to sit around waiting to be saved. 
You must have heard the stories of great women,
Who didn’t bend to the rules of society and demanded equality. 
But do not feel dejected, 
You, too, will do great things in your life. 
You, too, will face obstacles, 
But you, too, will overcome them, proving so many people wrong. 
Even if you stay home for your family, 
You, too, are doing a great deed. 
You now have to make sure, 
That a woman achieving anything is a norm. 
From the women of the past, 
to the women of the future.

Winners of the India-Ireland Poetry Fest on ‘Care, Courage and Commitment’ is finally announced.

Big shoutout to all the winners, for writing euphonious and expressive poems. It was completely a literary treat to read all the varied formats, ranging from allegory, elegy, limerick, ode, and so on.

We are grateful to our chief jury, Prof. (Dr) Prasannanshu, Professor of English, National Law University New Delhi; Founding President, Delhi Poetry Circle & Founder, P3 Poetry Group for his valuable review and feedback.

The best-juried poems will be published in an e-book. Date for Virtual Book Launch and Winners’ Felicitation to be announced by August-end.

Ireland

India

Please Note: Winners’ list is arranged in an alphabetical order

Akshita Sehrawat
The Heritage School,
Vasant Kunj, New Delhi

She used to be the “free-spirited girl”,
She used to be the girl who was “everyone’s friend”
She used to be the shiny pearl
Until she turned into a fiend

She was all of it until she was nothing,
Now she’s a shell of what she used to be,
Wandering around in hopes of finding something,
An aimless wanderer living life always thinking maybe?

She looks for sunshine in the dark alleys,
She looks for warmth in the icy cold,
All of this is madness supposedly,
But hope keeps one alive is what she’s been told

What she wants is to get her life back,
What she wants is her sanity,
What she wants is to get out of this endless black,
And put a stop to this inhumanity

She wakes up trying for a fresh start,
In hopes of forgetting the past,
But it betrays her, her disloyal heart,
And once again, her reminiscence leaves her aghast

Each day she picks up the pieces,
Of what is left of her life,
Each day her hope decreases,
But she knows that she has to survive

In her heart, she knows there is nothing left,
But she also has to put on an act for everyone else,
So she gets ready for her office looking her best,
And plasters a smile as if that night had no effect.

Photo Courtesy-alex-ronsdorf-unsplash