Still Now Poem by Neela Nath Das

Insult fell as a drop scene
before my enlightened stage.
Still now standing in 21st century,
we have to scream for right.
Do you all think we the women
have to dance with the tune
played by you, the men, huh?
Listen, who dances I don't know
but not me.
Tonight I learned a lesson
from a priest of a temple.
I gave flower on the feet
of God.
The priest roared
and warned me not to
do that.
Angry I asked if I'm not
a daughter of God.
He replied, even the sweeper
is the son of God,
but both of you don't
have right to touch God
i.e women and sweeper
are the same.
The sweeper keeps
roads clean and sweeps
the dirt of his house.
He allows, as he is in need
of his service!


I stood speechless....


Then he took flowers, sweets
and money from me
because those things were
not untouchables!
He used his wife to get
children and to fulfill
his thirst and lust
but, that was not sin,
but a woman can't
touch God,
and its the Oracle of
the God(as he said) .
I promised before the
idol of God and that
dirty priest that
I wouldn't ever go there
to worship!
I was leaving the temple...
I heard the priest murmuring,
'I wanted her not to commit crime,
but she didn't get it.'
A fan of that fanatic priest
laughed and laughed.
The sound of horrible
laughter is still haunting
me as the dirtiest
words of this world!
Phew! ! ! ! ! ! !