Scorching away a lifetime’s effort,
She slams the door on disrespect.
Though it is not that she never tried,
Begging for a sliver of grace before burning away.
A new beginning comes with love and respect,
Paid for by having to re-earn what was already hers
Innocence of childhood masks the ordeal ahead,
Yet paternal love for her—a foundation long craved.
She wonders why Tapasya is always a woman’s path,
To sprout flowers of love in a barren masculine heart.
Will the roles ever reverse in this unforgiving world?
For now she accepts her freezing, starving lot.
The day finally comes for reward to be reaped,
None more deserving or delayed than hers.
This time she snatches her desire from cruel fate,
Her bell forcing outer chaos into her orderly masterpiece.
Love of her life secured into affectionate submission,
The artist within begins her smile of creation.
For this time her penance was not to win him
Her infinite power dormant, brought to fruition.
Resting in maternal affection, she cradles her little heart,
Reminiscing the delays that led to her own bundle of joy.
Even the mother of the three worlds
Was once a humble maiden with a dream so far.
Yet maternal affection did not dampen her spirit,
Neither did motherhood swallow her whole.
When the Gods needed a warrior undefeated, supreme,
It was she who was perfect, made for the part.
She reclaims the darkness both outside and within,
Stomping on every rule, forbidden restriction.
Suppressed fury, white-hot rage
Erupt like an underestimated volcano whose time had come.
Washing her battle wounds, in the humble love of her beloved,
She shines resplendent like the faultless moon,
Shedding away years of trauma, agony, pain,
Bringing light to other tormented souls.
Unfathomable are her forms, her moods change on a whim;
When you think you know her, she leaves you in the dust
Of her eternal glory and infinite strength.
For after all she is Shakti, reborn invincible.
Author’s Note: Each of the stanzas traces the journey of the forms of Goddess Durga —from Shailaputri to Siddhidatri—mirroring the evolution of a woman’s soul through the 9 forms of Shakti.
Leave a Reply