Eyingbeni Hümtsoe-Nienu
I’m a woman, a mother, a professional and by joyful choice a homemaker. Home tasks keep our hands and feet busy. And in the midst of scurrying about at home, the sudden realization arises that the mind seems to have a mind of its own. The poem below was inspired in the kitchen while preparing food for the family. A “rosy” moment indeed! This is a tribute missive to all girls and women who have been through life’s pains simply on account of being born girls and yet have survived them all to leave enduring legacies in their own special ways. It is also for those girls and women who need a little nudge to live up to their fullest potential. And it is also for the yet-to-be-born girls who await superior trend in gender valuation from those who have been born before them.
Dear Daughter…
You’re born into a “man’s world.”
And you’ll know what I mean –
In a “man’s world”
You’re declared *oyam (other) from the moment you are born,
Whereas a son is ete (us).
But don’t despair;
What God has ordained no man can change.
In the garden of Eden,
God spoke through Adam to Eve,
“This (at last) is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.”
Don’t for a second doubt that you’re equal with all the sons of the earth.
Still, there may linger the intimidating voice of the Devil whispering,
“Really?
Did God really say that (you’re equal with boys)?”
Dismiss it!
Have nothing to do with the Devil and its associates!
But it’s still a “man’s world”
And men will try to drag you down to the ground,
Tell you that you are not ready, not fit, not capable.
Such are not true.
They simply mean to tell you,
“You’re not a man!”
Don’t fret!
Find every little window
That will allow you to fly out and soar high.
If you can’t find even a window,
Learn from the rose –
Through the thicket in a hidden space,
Buried deep from human notice –
It thrusts forth without change in beauty or fragrance
To tell the world,
“Hello, I’m Rose,
You can’t hide me, you can’t ignore me, you can’t forget me!”
Make your presence felt everywhere you go.
And don’t go forgetting yourself!
And when you’re finally done,
The little corners where you bloomed shall still remember you,
For the way you were –
A Survivor –
From the moment you were born –
One of humanity, one of God’s, one for the world.
Always by your side – Mother
*Oyam and ete are words from Lotha Naga language of North East.
(The author is faculty at Clark Theological College and is available at: eyingtsoe@rediffmail.com)
