Woman

This poem was originally written in the wake of the brutal gang rape of Jyoti Singh Pandey of Delhi. Women across the globe continue to face myriad forms of violence and oppression every day. As a community, let us rise together to prevent violence against women, whether it be through our professional work, our creative voices, or simply by offering emotional support. As parents, let us raise boys who learn to love and respect women as their equals, and let us raise girls who grow up to love and respect themselves, to believe in themselves and to be strong enough to stand up against any kind of violence.

WOMAN

I am fire,

the lone flame

on your candle,

hope

in your darkest hour.

A little timid, a little coy,

I burn in selfless love

through the night,

trembling,

flickering in fear

of that moment

when dawn seeps through the window

and with one blow

you extinguish my existence.

Then you resurrect me,

when daylight betrays

and I continue to burn,

burn in selfless love.

But beware,

make it not your habit,

for I am Fire,

that timid, insignificant flame

morphing into wildfire

blazing through the forests,

reckless, uncontrollable,

burning down

jungles of injustice.

I am water,

the tranquil stream

caressing harsh mountains

flowing eternally

through earth’s breast

so that you may quench your thirst.

I am your oasis

of hope, of life

in your heart’s dead Sahara.

I am singing rain

that awakens

the sleeping buds of love

in your solitary soul.

but do not be fooled

for I am the rising ocean

leaping in rage,

my turbulent waves

engulfing

your compass-less vessel

of immorality.

I am air,

the gentle summer breeze

that heals your tortured skin.

Take it not for granted,

for soon I shall return

as a hurricane,

sweeping through the land

with unfathomable force

demolishing structures of all evil.

I am earth,

giver of life,

torn apart in pain

over and over again

as novel lives

sprout through my core.

I let you walk over me,

for days,

for months,

for years,

But a moment arrives

unannounced, uninvited

when I quiver violently

till your sky-scraping arrogance

crumbles to ashes

and I see through the clear skies

an emerging paradise

And then I rest in peace…

—

Silmy Abdullah is a lawyer based in Toronto. She currently works for a not-for-profit organization that seeks to prevent and address violence against women and children. She is also a member of the Legal Advocacy Committee of the Canadian Muslim Lawyers’ Association.