Pallavi Payal @Payalsapanapaints

My country wants to

cut off my limbs,

my tongue,

cover me,

have men hover around;

My country wants to protect me. 

My country cries over 

burnt flags,

borders,

the birth lore of gods,

not the bodies of desecrated dead girls;

My country says I am a Goddess. 

My country asks me 

for my father’s name.

Men who are dead,

or have become ghosts  ―

they own me more than the women who birth me:

My country asks me to love this motherland.

‘Nepali women under 40 could soon be required to obtain permission

from their families and the local government if they want to travel abroad.’

― Dewan Rai for Record Nepal

10/2/2021

Neha Rayamajhi is a storyteller. She can be found tweeting about politics, culture, and mid-life crisis at @NehaRaySays.