I Want You to be Safe

August 6, 2017


I Want You to be Safe

Bottle of cayenne pepper, pepper spray,

Weapons my mom introduced me to and I scoffed.

You might need it someday she said,

What for? I interrogated

'I want you to be safe ' she said

Every time I go out I strap it around my waist.

I grew up, started college,

My dad told me, no night outs

I looked at him with rage

'I want you to be safe ' he said.

While on a family outing,

'Trust no one' my mom said

That's inhumane, I uttered

'Don't walk alone in the night'

My aunt said,

Why not? I asked,

'There are bad people,

I want you to be safe ' she said

While I moved out for studies

Perm for girls 9.30 they said,

Library closes at 11, I interrogated

'We just want you to be safe ' they said.

Now I realise,

All they tried to tell me is,

Honey, you are a fragile growing women

Big men might make a way and use my beautiful body as they want.

Now I realise,

We are unprotected women, not allowed to be independent as there are wolves waiting to feed on us.

Night outs, late night shifts, walking alone can be a threat for us.

Daily reports about rapes in the news,

Insecurity for women everyone talks about,

Is when I realised I could be raped.

When is our country going to be safe

When is the newspaper going to be free of news on rape?

When are the rapists going to hell?

When are people going to stop telling us we should be sober and what not to wear?

When are the women going to be independent?

When are we going to stop telling other,

'I want you to be safe'.

 

 

By Vijetha Joyce Alva
Department of commerce,
Manipal University
To submit your article / poem / short story to Daijiworld, please email it to news@daijiworld.com mentioning 'Article/poem submission for daijiworld' in the subject line. Please note the following:

  • The article / poem / short story should be original and previously unpublished in other websites except in the personal blog of the author. We will cross-check the originality of the article, and if found to be copied from another source in whole or in parts without appropriate acknowledgment, the submission will be rejected.
  • The author of the poem / article / short story should include a brief self-introduction limited to 500 characters and his/her recent picture (optional). Pictures relevant to the article may also be sent (optional), provided they are not bound by copyright. Travelogues should be sent along with relevant pictures not sourced from the Internet. Travelogues without relevant pictures will be rejected.
  • In case of a short story / article, the write-up should be at least one-and-a-half pages in word document in Times New Roman font 12 (or, about 700-800 words). Contributors are requested to keep their write-ups limited to a maximum of four pages. Longer write-ups may be sent in parts to publish in installments. Each installment should be sent within a week of the previous installment. A single poem sent for publication should be at least 3/4th of a page in length. Multiple short poems may be submitted for single publication.
  • All submissions should be in Microsoft Word format or text file. Pictures should not be larger than 1000 pixels in width, and of good resolution. Pictures should be attached separately in the mail and may be numbered if the author wants them to be placed in order.
  • Submission of the article / poem / short story does not automatically entail that it would be published. Daijiworld editors will examine each submission and decide on its acceptance/rejection purely based on merit.
  • Daijiworld reserves the right to edit the submission if necessary for grammar and spelling, without compromising on the author's tone and message.
  • Daijiworld reserves the right to reject submissions without prior notice. Mails/calls on the status of the submission will not be entertained. Contributors are requested to be patient.
  • The article / poem / short story should not be targeted directly or indirectly at any individual/group/community. Daijiworld will not assume responsibility for factual errors in the submission.
  • Once accepted, the article / poem / short story will be published as and when we have space. Publication may take up to four weeks from the date of submission of the write-up, depending on the number of submissions we receive. No author will be published twice in succession or twice within a fortnight.
  • Time-bound articles (example, on Mother's Day) should be sent at least a week in advance. Please specify the occasion as well as the date on which you would like it published while sending the write-up.

Comment on this article

  • Renil, Mangalore

    Wed, Aug 23 2017

    This post is so meaningful , made me ponder about the situation of women . Keep it coming.

  • Veronica Mathias, Bantakal/Dubai

    Mon, Aug 14 2017

    Good one, very well written... Congrats...

  • Sneha Dsouza, Kinnigoli

    Fri, Aug 11 2017

    Dear Vijetha,

    It is a beautiful poem that brings out the cruelty that still exists in our society, especially towards a girl child or women. This poem is unique in it's own sense as it echoes the unspoken thoughts of many females. Hope you continue writing such brilliant poems. Stay blessed.

  • Prakash Noronha, Pamboor Qatar

    Thu, Aug 10 2017

    Congratulations Vijetha
    Well written .Keep writing more.
    Wish you all the best. God bless you

  • Nikhitha Alva, Padubelle

    Tue, Aug 08 2017

    An amazing poem .You have described the society in apt words.Waiting for many more poems .

  • Dalia Saldanha, Bengaluru

    Tue, Aug 08 2017

    Beautiful poem Vijetha! I loved it.

  • Kishore Noronha, Pamboor/Dubai

    Tue, Aug 08 2017

    Well written Vijetha. Keep writing. God bless you.

  • SHARAN ABDULLA D'SOUZA, MUMBAI+KARNATAKA+MANGALORE

    Tue, Aug 08 2017

    NICE

  • Malathi Devi, Karkala

    Tue, Aug 08 2017

    When are the rapists going to hell? This one sentence is enough to know about the safety of girls on this earth?

  • Thomas Saldanha, Bengaluru

    Tue, Aug 08 2017

    Apt for the current situation, well written Vijetha.

  • Jacintha Fernandes, Shirva,Abudhabi

    Tue, Aug 08 2017

    Congratulations dear Vijetha.you have voiced out the insecurity the ladies are feeling in every day life.God bless you Vijetha.waiting for many more articles and poems from a young budding poet.

  • B.D'costa, mangalore

    Mon, Aug 07 2017

    Great article kudos to you, keep it up

  • Sunita Menezes, Shirva/Bantakal/Dubai

    Mon, Aug 07 2017

    Dear Vijetha,

    Beautifully written, I wish your voice reaches as many people as possible, hoping and dreaming to see India a better place to live. Each and every girl in India live with fear today, who/how/when this issue will solve???

  • Shaila Alva, Ranchi

    Mon, Aug 07 2017

    Congratulations dear Vijetha. You have tried to open the eyes of men and women alike to the reality. Wish you all best

  • Fr Franklin D'Souza, SHIVAMOGGA

    Mon, Aug 07 2017

    Congratulations Vijetha for this poem....it brings out....pen is one of the best way to communicate powerfully....you have taken a right weapon to wake up.....it's wake up call for all of us.....May you continue to inspire and through which the hearts and minds be transformed in the society. ...

  • Precilla quadras, Shankerpura

    Mon, Aug 07 2017

    Well written Vijetha.God bless you dear.keep it up

  • Dr Vincent Alva, Pambur

    Mon, Aug 07 2017

    First of all Congratulations Viju, my God Child. It is a wonderful poem which voices the disgust, desperation, reluctance, anger, and trauma of a girl who wants to savor the the beautiful freedom. Yes it is true that the world is unsafe for girls. But the question is why it is unsafe? Is it because there are hungry wolves around? How long the parents of lovely daughters bear the unpredictable future.
    Vijetha, the budding poet, there is light at the end of every tunnel. i appreciate your anxiety filled poem. Now let optimism flow through your poetry. Wish you all the best child. God bless you.

  • Fredrick d'sa, Shirva/nottingham

    Mon, Aug 07 2017

    Well done Vijetha. I like the poem be safe.

  • Anil, Dubai.

    Mon, Aug 07 2017

    Nice song Vijetha, everyone will be safe if our Indian law becomes strict, because in India law differs with person to person.

  • Sr. Veera Monis, Kallianpur/Pamboor

    Mon, Aug 07 2017

    Congrats Vijetha. Good one. Keep it up.

  • cherly Poornima, Udupi(padubelle)/KSA

    Mon, Aug 07 2017

    Good one Vijetha ..keep up the spirit..all the best

  • Sunil D'Souza, Shirva

    Mon, Aug 07 2017

    Wow nice poem and nice write

  • Mary D'sa, Shirva/United Kingdom

    Mon, Aug 07 2017

    Well done Vijetha. Beautifully worded poem. The threat to women is so scary. We need persons like you to keep the society vigilant and bring awareness in people. I am so proud of you.

  • Suhani Khera, Gurgaon

    Sun, Aug 06 2017

    I love how realistically this addresses everything necessary. Great work!

  • Avil Dalmeida, Dubai/Moodubelle

    Sun, Aug 06 2017

    Well written poem Vijetha,,,Keep it up...Keep writing.

  • Janet Dalmeida, Moodubelle / Dubai

    Sun, Aug 06 2017

    Good one Vijetha...Keep writing. God bless

  • Veronica Alva, Udupi/Dubai

    Sun, Aug 06 2017

    Well written Vijetha. You have made youngsters like you to understand why must they take their parents/elders advice, till our earth becomes safe for all the women. Keep up your great talent!

  • Anitha Mendonca, Dubai

    Sun, Aug 06 2017

    Well written, keep it up, god bless you Vijetha.

  • Benaka, Udupi

    Sun, Aug 06 2017

    Well written . Way to go vijetha.

  • DSOUZA BROTHERs, PAMBOOR /BAHRAIN

    Sun, Aug 06 2017

    Well-written Vijetha ..

  • Rajesh, Mulki

    Sun, Aug 06 2017

    The women will be safe only when parents teach their sons how to respect a woman... Congrats Vijetha .. very well written...


Leave a Comment

Title: I Want You to be Safe



You have 2000 characters left.

Disclaimer:

Please write your correct name and email address. Kindly do not post any personal, abusive, defamatory, infringing, obscene, indecent, discriminatory or unlawful or similar comments. Daijiworld.com will not be responsible for any defamatory message posted under this article.

Please note that sending false messages to insult, defame, intimidate, mislead or deceive people or to intentionally cause public disorder is punishable under law. It is obligatory on Daijiworld to provide the IP address and other details of senders of such comments, to the authority concerned upon request.

Hence, sending offensive comments using daijiworld will be purely at your own risk, and in no way will Daijiworld.com be held responsible.