Wrath of Waters

This piece was born from my own experiences of navigating a world where women’s emotions and autonomy are often questioned, disregarded, or diminished. In a society where respect for women is still far from universal, I’ve encountered too many voices that treat us as objects to be judged or claimed, not individuals to be understood. It’s frustrating when a woman's value is reduced to her appearance, her material worth, or what she can provide, without any true recognition of her mind, spirit, or voice.

In a country where progress is often painted over by deeply ingrained stereotypes, I wanted to reflect on our emotional labour and challenge the notion that a woman’s worth is anything less than the sum of her complex, unapologetic existence. This is not just my voice, but the voice of every woman who refuses to be defined by shallow expectations and dares to claim her full worth, emotions, and sovereignty.

Since the dawn of mankind, you have plundered the lands,
Tearing the earth with your greedy hands,
One nation stripped bare, you sought another,
Depleting all, then seeking to smother.

You speak of saving Mother Earth,
But bruise her daughters, curse their worth,
You rage at storms, at nature’s fury,
Yet it’s your destruction that tells the story.

You raid one womb, then seek the next,
And think that makes you strong or blessed?
No, it only makes you bow in shame,
To forces greater than your name.

You call us crazy, psycho, mad,
When our rage is more than you can stand,
But just like seas, you tried to tame,
We rise untamed, we stake our claim.

You took our kindness, soft and sure,
Like gentle waters, calm and pure,
But didn’t see the depths below,
Where wild currents fiercely flow.

Civilizations rise on shores,
Yet you mistake our tears for mere rain,
Weak, controlled, easy to contain,
Not knowing our waves remain unchained.

For life began within the sea,
And so does our emotional depth, you see,
Don’t think our tears make us weak,
They are the flood in which you’ll sink.

We are the nectar that gives you life,
But also the oceans where you’ll be submerged,
And when our fury’s fully shown,
You’ll drown on lands you thought you owned.

~ Kanika Kaushal ✨ The Luminous Muse