“Do me a favour”, in silence she cried
Speak not for me but for your stubborn tribe
For the life that I lead, you will never know of
And the fears that I feel often make you scoff
It was not the first time that she ventured out alone
And like me, she too, had a kin on her phone
The perils that befell her on that fateful night
Fill me with anger, but more so with fright
You may shout slogans and conduct a rally
But how is it changing the fear that I carry?
You demand justice for a girl that died
If I told you that you enabled this, will it catch you by surprise?
Have you ever stared too long at a girl that passed by?
Or grazed your hand against her thighs?
Have you often just laughed at a friend’s misogyny?
Or lauded a sexist joke and called it funny?
When I walk outdoors, I notice their eyes
When they touch me “by mistake”, I know it’s all lies
You call me “uncool” for not laughing at a joke,
My sense of humour is fine until the feminist in me you poke
Be it in a crowded metro or on a deserted street
I could be in my shorts or be covered from head to feet
It’s not about the clothes or the values that I hold
It’s that they don’t respect me and the fact that I could be bold
Their inherent desire to show me my place
As they tear down my dignity or throw acid on my face
It’s a slow grave that they dig for every man around
For no woman will be silent or with chains will she be bound
So tell me right now if you’ve never played a part
In belittling women or setting them apart
It may seem like no deal when you ignore a sexist jibe
But you’ve then contributed to this downward slide
I’m not here to talk about safety alone,
But for the seeds of mistrust that these events have sown,
For often if an honest man tries to help me
I doubt his intentions and look for ways to flee
When on a lonely road I walk at night
My heart starts to pound at any man in sight
Or if I travel solo and sit late by the window
Even a distant voice makes the fear inside me grow
That night it was her, for she was unlucky,
Just like any other girl, her safety remained tricky
Do we really need to rely on our luck to be safe?
If that’s what it is, I hope you are feeling the disgrace
While you chew upon this, don’t forget this fact
Every girl you know is susceptible to these acts
It’s no longer the time to sit back and wait
To get agitated when the next girl meets with this fate
“Do me a favour”, in silence she cried
Speak not for me but for your stubborn tribe
For tomorrow again I’ll venture into the crowd
With a silent prayer that another safe day I’m allowed.
