I am standing on my soapbox 
Not elevated above the crowd, 
But trembling amidst it. 
I do not have a megaphone, 
Only the weight of a thousand silences 
pressing against my throat. 
But I speak now,
Not for noise, not for applause, 
But because silence is a luxury 
I can no longer afford. 
I stand for every Indian daughter 
Who measures her steps after sunset. 
I stand for the girls who carry pepper spray 
In case tragedy may beget.
They call it matter of honour 
When daughters are buried alive
What justice is there in a nation 
Where burden of proof only with her lies,
Where trials bring more humiliation 
What change can come 
if they are always told, “Don’t tell anyone”? 
We are taught to be silent to stay safe, 
But I want a world 
Where dignity isn’t conditional, 
Where safety is not a privilege
And where being a woman 
doesn’t come with a footnote of caution. 
Let this be my soapbox,
Let this be my scream among whispers,
Let it be known I wasn’t the one 
who stayed silent.
Because justice cannot be a privilege
So I shall fight,Refuse to let things be 
I stand here, angry, afraid, awake
But most of all
Unapologetically loud.

     By Saanika S