Forgotten Star

A star falls out of orbit, it seems
broken, crushed and saddened.
The word carries far and wide.

The world stops to watch as it
shoots across the dark sky
They watch, happy at the sight.

Every word, every whisper
works to bring it down faster
yet the talk, the laughter continues.

When once the tiny star
has crashed into the wide open field
The light disappears, it is seen no more.

The fire that once kept
My dear star alight
Now is no more.

Forgotten and powerless
in the quiet of the field
There seems to be no one looking.

Lonely unlit star soon sees,
No one caught her, no one came.
All eagerly watched her crash.

They all made a wish.
Would they have wished
For the never ending light of
My sweet forgotten star.

-Khushbo

Chastise Me

In the sweet silence
I heard a sparrow spake
Of rumours and ramblings
carried in the chilly wind.

It seemed I hardly took a step
And the wind had carried
bleak words and outrageous lies
to worlds unknown even to me.

Confounded and confused,
I was ushered to the courts
The vulture truly fit in costume; the judge.
The jury stand full of rattle snakes.

Alas, I have right to witnesses!
They march following in line
the ants, adhere to their queen.
One too many, yet all testimonies the same.

The prosecution is a scorpion,
Poisonous and hateful is he!
Sting upon sting I seem to lose breath
Revived only to be stung again.

Tis’ a fix you see.
The Queen ant is in cahoots with them all.
There is still but one: my counsel, the fox.
Cunning and swift is he!

But what case do I have in a zoo’ full of
Aspiring liars, thieves and cheats?
But wait! For I am yet to learn of the acquisition!
It appears I am accused to being unchaste!

Pray tell, what is my mistake?
Refusing to lay with the pigs!
For refusal to lay is not chastity
as much as it is to lay with a pig.

One chosen by friend, aunt and cousin.
Instated by religion, state and country.
Matched by unwritten books of requirements
Re-instated by society, mommies and daddies.

Yes I was chaste up until yesterday.
When once I laid with the pig.
Unchaste did I become the day I said nay to
The pig in a sty full of injustice.

Tis true, Tis true!
I am indeed unchaste!
begone dear chastity
with the pig and pewh.

-Khushbo

Chimamanda Adichie: The danger of a single story

Chimamanda presents her understanding of the dangers of a “single story” in a very moving presentation. Everything surrounding us is a trajectory to our own perspectives and experiences however limited they may be. What I call the educated blind. We often find ourselves certain of our knowledge of someone or something to the extent that we blatantly ignore any other stories and or believe the first ones too strongly. Keeping our understanding of the world, open to new and improved experiences is important. I will go on to say, the same applies to many personal occasions where we are so often convinced by one story enough to be blinded to all others. Be it the media, that tells the single story, or the gossiping queens of our society, we must be careful about what we believe.