Village Goddesses

Husband constantly beating and batting, His kiths, like allies, consciously hitting; Father-in-law, in his way commanding, Mother-in-law, dire duties demanding; Neighbors mocking at physical darkness, Her skinny dullness and financial weakness; Her aspiration to be fullness gone, Seeds of hatred in each heart around sown; Losing her solid ground beneath her feet, She, like a little lamb, started to bleat; Some stood shocked; some so terribly awestruck, Some said she's mad; others, she's hysteric; Whatever might whoever might have thought, Whatever view, she on her, might have wrought; Mystery over her started growing, Mastery of her wisdom grew glowing; She talked of heaven, hell and highest skies, Assured of abundant heavenly pies; Her sermons varied from great wealth to health, She talked on glamour of glorious death; All listened seem to see in her strengths strange, Her deliberateness seemed seeds of change; They saw avatar of goddess kali, In her they found Durga, Radha, Lakhsmi; Her husband, forever, stopped batting her, Kith and kin pleasantly extolled her stir; Father-in-law still; mother-in-law calm, Life, to her, turned sooth-tranquilizing balm; Learning, thus, tackling of trickling issues, Our hamlets have now many such goddesses... 01 February 2022