Housewife Poem by MAHBUBA SHAMA

Homemaker or housewife,
a 24-hour restless life.
No increment, no promotion,
endless chores in constant motion.

Cooking, washing, cleaning clothes,
caring for young and old, it shows.
Guard, teacher, mistress, servant,
begging for money, always observant.

In youth, my husband earns our bread,
later my son will take that stead.
I'm a graduate, but kept from work,
children come first, my dreams must lurk.

Home is a must for women, they say,
a man's career will lead the way.
Why should I work? My husband provides,
dresses, shoes, bags, jewels, my pride.

What else does a woman need,
when wealth and leisure both succeed?
Career is for those in need,
but I am rich, yet careerless indeed.

A homemaker, mother, wife,
is this all there is to life?
What else do I truly need,
when bound by roles I must concede?