Beyond The Obscurity

Reshma Anil Kumar | 12, May 2023

“Freedom of Expression,”

A right said to be inherent in all

But is it really?

That inherent right,

Isn’t it often curtailed

By the social constructions of gender?

Am I so wrong for feeling suffocated

For not being able to be who I am?

The pain pulsing in my heart,

Waiting to spew out

To dirty that “society” with its

Ugly and slimy arms

Is it really dirty?

Is it that ugly?

To be who I am

To love who I want

To wear what I want

To walk my way

The way my legs & hips take me

Is it really that ugly?

“Freedom of Expression,”

A right often said to be inherent

But is it really?

That inherent right,

When am I to feel it

Removing those chains,

Shoving my words back in my throat.

Those words brimming and brimming,

Waiting to overflow

And let everyone know my “ugly” secret,

Is trembling like a thin leaf

As if it’s ready to fall off

And leave the way it came from,

Silently…

Silence, dark as it is,

Surrounds me.

Loud as it is,

Makes me lonely,

Begging for some warmth,

Waking that pulsating pain,

Showering me in salty, salty tears,

Silently…

In the name of “Freedom of Expression.”

Expression…Isn’t it to be colourful and vibrant

So vibrant that it looks

Ugly but runs deep and beautiful,

Coming in different shapes and sizes

To embrace all and all

Even in those salty, salty tears,

Sharing vulnerabilities

And calling for inclusion in its warmth?

That “Freedom of Expression,”

Inherent in all,

Is it equal for “all”?

Is chains for some and freedom for others

what equality means,

what “Freedom of Expression” means?