Shieldmaiden

by

Don’t be my Juliet,
Nor my Leila,
Or a Rapunzel trapped
Far away atop
A phallic tower
Anxious to be rescued.
Don’t lie half dead
In a maze of roses,
Or under a glass coffin.
Don’t bother showing up
In a pretentious ball,
Wearing uncomfortable glass slippers,
Only to be valued mercilessly
By some guy with a foot fetish.
Don’t sacrifice your voice,
Or other wonderful gifts
To claim my affection.
Be your true self,
My shield maiden,
With hair untamed,
Unbound by the wind of change,
Roaring and screaming,
As loud as thunder,
Piercing eyes gazing at the horizon…
Don’t be a Sati,
As my Shiva needs her Parvati.
Don’t be my Juliet
Nor my Leila…

Image credit: Feature image generated with DALL·E using a prompt based on this poem and its themes.
If this piece resonates with you and you’re a visual artist, I’d love to feature your own soul-crafted work in place of the AI image.

From the poetry compilation

Happy Hallucinations

More Poems

Letter to her

Letter to her

To the woman I’ve not met yet —First of all: hello!Although I cannot see your face,You’re just a shadow,A barely visible silhouette,An unlockable video game character.I cannot see your smile,The colour of your eyes,Or how your hair radiatesUnder the summer sun.I have...

Graveyard of Old Memories

Graveyard of Old Memories

I keep digging deepIn the graveyardOf old memories.No tombstone, no nameNo dates necessary.Daturas and nightshadesHovering over your remains –Marking where you lay,On your final resting place. My shovel hits the coffin –Wood once varnished with my tears,Now rotting...

Dear Artist

Dear Artist

Dear Artist Red is the colour of passion, And blue that of sadness – Or so people say. As if colours ever had Inherent meanings other than ones We bestowed upon them… What are these colours even, Without a stream of light? Their waves crashing on pigments Who are...

Dear Strangers

Dear Strangers

I hope this poem reaches you.May it survive the turmoil of timeAnd the turbulence of space,And create the same mess,The same splatter of emotionsThat it once madeDuring its violent, painful birthIn the dark void of my mind.I hope it shows you the same lightThat guided...

She Never Learned

She Never Learned

She was so concerned about being A good girl to her parents, A good mother to her children, A good wife to a husband, A good cog in the machine, That she never learned To just be... Be herself, Know herself, Not as a woman, Or as a person even, But as a universe Of...

Do you remember?

Do you remember?

Do you remember?That lazy summer’s day?When a few sleepy raindropsCradled by the sky,Rolled over and fell downFrom their soft beds?You do remember, don’t you?How they landed on your cheek?How gently you woke them up,With that sweet smile of yours?How the spark in your...

Keep in Touch

YouTube

Become a Subscriber

LinkedIn

For professional purposes

TikTok

Follow me!

It’s a Rik Life

Rik Bhattacharja © 2023

All Rights Reserved