Is there a day
reserved for a mother's love?
sisterly affection?

Is it okay to be
a girlfriend only
on the third Saturday
of the month?

Or a wife
only on the
fourth Sunday
of the year?

Is there a special
enclosure
in the date pad
for the time
when girls will be girls
and daughters, daughters.

Is there a day
marked on the calendar
as the only day
we can cry out 'Amma' in pain
or ecstasy?

Is there a time
reserved for us to
seek comfort
in a woman's breast?

An auspicious time
when they can
caress our brows?

Is there a rule
that we can celebrate
womanhood
only once a year?

Why then do we need
to date stamp a day?
Why do we stoop to making
a woman feel ordinary
for a day?

When we know,
and are proud to admit
that she is indeed special
for life...