The veil of twilight caressed the golden sunset glow
Her footsteps quickened, furrowed brow
Then from the bushes an eerie intoxicated whisper
The young teen could have made it home safely;
Almost…
She twirled around in her red dress, a princess in her head
Sipping on her cocktail, with a mind free of dread
Little did she notice the bartenders sinister smirk
The young woman could have made it home safely;
Almost…
Baby eyes lit up, innocent joy
As she held the uncle’s finger, who had promised her a toy
Days later the gutters cradled a little shroud afloat
The baby girl could have made it home safely;
Almost…
How lucky she is, envious voices chime
Her parents beam, riding high on societal pride sublime
Blind like the law to the white sheets that turned crimson that night
The new bride could have made it to ‘her’ home safely;
Almost…
Brimming with confidence, the topper of her acting school batch
She swept into the casting room, her competitors were no match
Unaware of the predator whose lair she had entered
The budding actress could have made it home safely;
Almost…
The Pujo is complete, the idol of Durga the men immerse
The waves of the Ganga causes the goddess to submerse
Elsewhere a caustic wave melts away the nose that resembled her dad, her mom’s eyes
The bold woman could have made it home safely
Almost…
How many more almosts must it take
For the world to stop calling it her mistake
How many more almosts must pass through
Before this planet becomes ‘almost’ a home to women too
How many more almosts before we insist
That it’s not a crime for a woman to simply exist!