by Neha Dsouza
Full Text of the Poem
You’ve broken the glass ceiling?
And experienced a novel feeling!
Congratulations!
But are you married?
If not, you are not quite there yet.
You’ve had a psychological breakthrough?
The cycle of pain has been ended by you.
Congratulations!
But have you tied the knot?
No? You are not quite there yet.
You’ve made strides in your career,
Overcome a ton of inherent fears.
You’ve learned plenty, traveled wide,
But have you ever been a bride?
If not, you are not quite there yet.
All your accomplishments are for naught.
You can teach, preach, lead but so what?
All your pursuits are ultimately futile,
If you haven’t walked down the aisle.
Who decides whether you are settled?
Who decides which criteria are to be met?
Evidently, if you’re not married,
you’re just not quite there yet!
“You’re only three-fourth the way
And won’t reach the finish in this life-span
Because with one-fourth to go,
You’re not ‘settled’ until you find a ‘man’.”
Neha Dsouza is a storyteller who continues to explore the world around her through poetry, books, and other art forms. She can spend hours reading, and ends up losing sense of her time and surroundings. She loves traveling and journaling, and is trying every day to practice Tao.
Scheherezade Junejo was born in 1986 in Karachi. She graduated from National College of Arts, Lahore, in January 2010 with a BFA (Honours) degree. Scheherezade has produced seven solo exhibits, and participated in over 70 group exhibits, both national and international since June 2010. You can read her interview with The Missing Slate for our Spotlight Series here.