𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬

They don’t let you be
What you want to be.
You can't do this or that—
Not here, not there,
Neither this way nor that,
Not with them,
Not even with the new over there.
Don’t sit by that window
Or stand by the door,
Not where these eyes linger,
Not in that crowd.
Pull your hair behind,
Walk this way, not that.
Don’t laugh too loud,
Keep your gaze on your toes.
The skirt hem must be an inch lower,
And the lip colour less bold.
Don’t rest your hand on his shoulder,
Sit with your legs crossed, closer.
The gaze should meet for more than a moment,
Maintain distance as a pillion rider.
Smile with only half your lips,
Suppress your tears, but not too loud.
With half, and inch and closer,
And not louder,
I surrender to the world's design,
For my life, it seems,
Belongs not to me but to the endless crowd—
A shadow of expectations,
In a world unbowed.

#poem #women #girls #society #expectations