Enslaved
My body is not my own.
I may be the one born with it;
I may be the one caring for it;
But it belongs to someone else.
It belongs to someone similar to me.
We breathe the same air and are made of the same flesh,
Yet he is always the superior.
I am just a slave – born to wait on him,
Born to be ruled over,
To stroke his ego and satisfy his needs.
Men are aroused when looking at me?
It's my fault – I must cover up.
Men are threatened by my success?
It's my fault – I must fail.
Men do the most unspeakable things to me?
It's my fault – I asked for it.
I asked to be groped
While standing amidst a crowd.
I urged them to stare at me
As if I were their prey.
And now, I can't help but feel guilty
Because they say that I am to blame.
My body is not my own.
It belongs to them.
Areebah Ozara Elham is a student of Class IX, Sunnydale School.
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