This crumpled gown may pale before bejeweled bridal trousseau,
But it too came with a heavy cost, that was not all paid in cash,
either to shopkeepers or the keepers of expensive honor.
Safe, dignified, mummified livelihoods were left to unadventurous men,
Who will one day be matched with our CVs and rejected for poor judgment.
Because our guardians stood like oaks around a nascent crop,
Cheering our growth from the sidelines; the leafy shade to our failures,
Calling forth the rains; nourishing our spirits with freedom.
Thwarting pesty uncles from eroding our idea of ourselves,
Standing up to blinded aunties arbitrating right and wrong.
Fear not, that we have veered so far from the beaten path,
That we will fall over the edge of their old flat earth,
That we have forsaken responsibility and thrown caution to age,
Rest assured, this pale blue is also a symbol of commitment,
to what one loves. And what more could you ask for?
And what more could we ask for?
(Dedicated to all parents, who have let their daughters determine their dreams and destinies, be it vows, oaths or degrees; they are the ones who have truly pushed the boundaries, more than we ever could.)
But it too came with a heavy cost, that was not all paid in cash,
either to shopkeepers or the keepers of expensive honor.
Safe, dignified, mummified livelihoods were left to unadventurous men,
Who will one day be matched with our CVs and rejected for poor judgment.
Because our guardians stood like oaks around a nascent crop,
Cheering our growth from the sidelines; the leafy shade to our failures,
Calling forth the rains; nourishing our spirits with freedom.
Thwarting pesty uncles from eroding our idea of ourselves,
Standing up to blinded aunties arbitrating right and wrong.
Fear not, that we have veered so far from the beaten path,
That we will fall over the edge of their old flat earth,
That we have forsaken responsibility and thrown caution to age,
Rest assured, this pale blue is also a symbol of commitment,
to what one loves. And what more could you ask for?
And what more could we ask for?
(Dedicated to all parents, who have let their daughters determine their dreams and destinies, be it vows, oaths or degrees; they are the ones who have truly pushed the boundaries, more than we ever could.)
