Dad got me books on birthdays
not cutlery or barbies!
Mom put me in sports and elocution contests
not those 'mandatory'
stitching lessons or craft classes!
Many a choice for students at school,
but what's behind those gendered clubs?!
Dad told me of Hitchcock and Enid Blyton,
of Bonney M. and Tracey Chapman!
Mom taught me to raise voice and to resist,
to communicate and to be confident!
They taught my brother to cook and clean,
while I got to do shopping and car wash,
and vice-versa!
My brother helped with breakfast,
swept the house and mopped the floor
when I was busy preparing for exams,
and vice versa!
We watch movies and play games,
go shopping and eat out,
laugh out loud and have fun,
share the room and divide our tasks!
It's been like this since birth,
and I know what went wrong,
out there - the society.
It's time to dispel the gender reveal.
It's time to bomb those
nurseries in blue and pink.
What's coming out is a human being!
©anitavarghese01