Laughing Matter! Poem by Ajit Das

Is laughter gender-neutral?
How is a woman supposed
to laugh, precisely while
giving vent to her cackle?

Should she sound boisterous,
unable to hold back or smile
with well-brought-up control
politely amidst male egos?

Laughter conveys emotions
of myriad shades, contours
in its flight over the face.
But is there a lakhsman rekha? *

If the face is of a woman,
has it to be a reined-in effort
of a smile visible, not audible,
lest it be demeaned, demonized?

*a line drawn not to be crossed
in a supposedly patriarchal society