Escape.

Run for your lives, children,
Run as fast as you possibly can,
Look not away from the horizon,
Just run, children, run.

Do not stop to catch your breath,
Lest they shall catch up with you,
With your burning lungs and aching heels,
Just run, children, run.

Think not of the whips they wield,
Nor of the chains that held you,
Leaving behind the demons of your mind,
Just run, children, run.

Run, for there awaits you a better life,
Bereft of the torments of this day,
Toward the fresh start that you've been dreaming of,
Just run, children, run.

Do not let fear win you over,
For helpless you shall be if you do,
Do not think, do not yield,
Just run, children, run.

With every passing mile beneath your feet,
And every flutter of your beating heart,
For a life that will surpass your most beatific dream,
Just run, children, run.

Rulers of the Skies

He glided his way to the endless horizon,
He paled and began to fade away,
The birds flocked to look at his retreat,
His departure signaled the end of the day.

They loved his strength, so fierce and bright,
Strong enough to make them look away from his light,
But even as that blaze turned to a mild glow,
They loved his glorious, royal closing show.

They watched him sink as the moments went by,
His heat in hues of red and vermilion and wine,
The satin of his robe of blue and gray,
To the Queen of the skies, then gave way.

She crept slowly upon silent space,
With an unyielding, unwavering gaze,
She bid him a fond farewell,
The skies were now hers to dwell.

The birds now felt sheltered from harm,
They scattered away in a peaceful calm,
The Queen of the skies was their guardian,
They could now slip into a blissful oblivion.

Her cloak was cold, yet supple as silk,
Studded with stars was her regal quilt,
As she watched the birds close their eyes and doze,
She smiled and thus, a silver crescent rose.
.

Nothingness.

It's a vast expanse of land and ocean,
Infested with plants, beasts and men,
Surrounded by a canopy of nothingness,
Nothingness that they inhale and exhale.

Nothingness that they cannot see,
Nothingness that they think they feel,
Nothingness that resides in their heart,
Nothingness that tears them apart.

Nothingness that fills their lungs,
Nothingness that makes them believe they're alive,
Nothingness that they know nothing of,
Nothingness that they need to survive,

Nothingness that they know they are,
Nothingness that they can see by far,
Nothingness that they read in their eyes,
Nothingness in which they hide, they disguise.

Nothingness that their fingers can touch,
Nothingness that their minds cannot know,
Nothingness that blinds them all,
Nothingness that is as real as they are.

Oppression.

The society, as we know it, is said to be plagued by oppression. Oppression of the poor. Oppression of the illiterate. Oppression of the underprivileged. Oppression of women. Oppression is spoken of at almost every major platform of communication, but I believe that the true meaning of oppression has been lost somewhere along the way. Oppression, in its most basic sense is misuse of power to deny one of one's rights - including the right to free will. Oppression of free will is the most prevalent form of oppression that exists in the world on this day. Oppression of women is but a form of oppression of free will itself.

Women are denied their rights in most parts of the world under the farce of tradition or religion. Before I elaborate on that, let us look at the female section of the society as consisting of three major parts : The Believers, The Aye-Sayers , The Naive.

The Believer is the woman who actually believes in everything she does - whether it is an age old tradition or a modern world ideal, this woman believes in her actions, rationally. For example, if a Believer is wearing a burkha, it is solely because she believes that it makes sense for her to do so. She does so, not because she is told she must, not because she thinks it is a sin not to, and not because she is afraid of anyone. She does it out of her own free will. The Believer is not oppressed.

The Aye-Sayer is the woman who does not believe in what she does; the woman who knows that she deserves better; the woman who knows that she is being treated unjustly, but is forced to do so out of fear. This woman is coerced by physical force, or the more effective, emotional trauma to do what is preached to be right. This woman does not know her strength, does not have any confidence in herself and does not know that she can change her life. The Aye-Sayer is oppressed and know that she is, but thinks that she has no power to do anything about it.

The Naive is the woman who only knows a life which has restrictions. A life in which she is not allowed to have a life. This woman believes that she is inferior to men, and that her right place is beneath men. The Naive is very often misconstrued to be a Believer because she may seem to believe in everything she does. But in reality, she just does not know any different. The Naive is the woman who is oppressed to the extreme without being aware of the oppression.

While I was drawing out this structure of the female sect of the society, it dawned upon me that this is how the entire society was once structured - when it was plagued by slavery. This turned out to be a very depressing parallel. It is true though, that the Believers may not exist in this parallel, since there is no way of rationalizing slavery, but the fact that oppression of women can be aligned with slavery, is disturbing enough.

There have been far too many discussions and talks on women empowerment. When all is said and done, what is it that we need, at the end of the day? I do not have an answer to that yet, but I think we can start with applauding the Believers, empowering the Aye-Sayers and educating the Naive. Perhaps, that would be the first step to a better world - a world of free women.