A Quiet Defiance
Unyielding in a World Demanding Change
“You’re too harsh on people,”
my father and brother say
over breakfast.
They caution me that if I continue this way,
I'll drive everyone away.
Maybe it’s just my demeanor—
not everyone understands it.
Besides, I tell those who patronize me to back off,
and they seem to respect it.
My brother tells them,
“She’s difficult, you know?”
Hoping they’ll steer clear,
but instead, they linger.
I never wanted to alter
the way I speak.
But now I’m uncertain
if I can remain unchanged.
The traits I cherish in myself
are tarnished when
someone else admires them too.
Why do they seize my identity
when they already possess so much?
So I try to soften.
Stay longer
when I crave escape.
Believe their words
aren’t as harmful
as past experiences suggest.
Relearn all the norms
society imposed on me.
Attempt to be a good ally
without feeling resentment.
I wish to be approachable
and wish to be gentle.
But I do not want my gentleness
to be mistaken for compliance.
And they’ll question—
Why did I endure?
Why did I speak?
Why did I laugh?
Why didn’t I walk away?
Why was I there
in broad daylight?
Because danger
knows no hour.
On a Tuesday afternoon
I’ve feared for my safety.
Sunlit roads only reveal
the injustices that persist
long after we’re gone.
Our foremothers. Our friends.
Our future daughters.
Waging a war
that isn’t ours to win.
Because we are not the issue.
So why must we be the remedy?
Rectify your men. Rectify the culture.
Stop trying to rectify the women.
You lengthen our sleeves
and cover our curves.
Disgusted by what nurtures you.
Consumed by fantasies
yet call us names.
Battling with yourself
but dragging us into your fight.
Say, “This may be a man’s world,
but, darling, it would be nothing
without a woman or a girl.”
Our presence fuels your dominance.
Without women,
there would be no hierarchy.
I tell my father and brother
I’d rather be alone forever
than be a token
in a man’s realm
any longer.
About the Creator
Sandeep Kumar
Hi, I'm Sandeep Kumar, a fiction writer from Delhi, India. I joined Vocal Media to share my stories with a wider audience and to connect with other writers and readers.
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Comments (2)
Nice
Cleverly done it.