Bondwomen Poem by Nadia umber Lodhi

Bondwomen
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My Lord!
Are we merely bondwomen,
To be burnt alive to death?
We are those youths,
Crushed in the name of love.
We are those buds,
Targeted by lust,
Whose petals are torn apart.
We are those butterflies,
Sacrificed in the name of expediency.
We are those daughters,
Deprived of inheritance—we are those sisters.
My Lord!
Why are we bondwomen?
Grant us, too, the leave to journey from the gates of authority,
Grant us, too, a vast sky for our flight.
Bind a destination to our footsteps,
Grant us, too, a legion of followers to walk our path.
My Lord!
Until when, after all,
Are we bondwomen!
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Nadia Umber Lodhi
Islamabad

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