Today was the first day-
The first day of her freedom;
With her wings finally unclipped,
Breathin’ an air of tranquillity
Was her first day-
When the world would know her by “her name”
And not by her husband’s.
Basking in this comfort with moist eyes,
It had taken her 18 long years-
18 long years to break off
A marriage -that had brought to her only pain and suffering
In the guise of a 'happily ever after'.
Catering to the needs of his family,
It had been long since she had listened to her own.
Her expectations, her aspirations, her ambitions, her views, her opinions;
had all been sealed along with her marriage.
Today after 18 long years
Was the first day when she’d view
The world as she did - when she was 19;
An independent, pampered, fun-loving girl
Living as if there’s no tomorrow.
After 18 long years-
She would not have to tune in to her husband’s orders,
Do as he would he say,
Eat after he and his family ate,
Sleep after everyone had slept;
She could finally do whatever pleased her-
Without giving second thoughts about the repercussions.
She could cook what she liked
And not what her husband and his family told her to
She could go out without informing anyone,
She could come home late,
And no one would say-
“Daughter in-laws of our family don’t stay out late”
She could finally work,
Without thinking about managing her time between his family and her work.
But all this did not come easy,
Divorce they say is a stigma
As easy as it sounds,
Becomes even more difficult
When you’re a woman
And even more when it’s been so long in the marriage
Because apparently-
After marriage her husband’s family
Becomes her own
His goals, dreams, needs is all she needs to care about-
Waking up at 6 am and sleeping at 11 pm is normalized
So is giving up an identity and
Putting on a completely new one.
But after 18 long years
Today she’s a free bird
“With an identity of her own”.
