I had always remembered,
But now I think I know,
I had said “no”.
I had said “no”.
It was just yesterday,
Not a very long while ago,
When for the first time, I said “no”.
I had said “no”.
You saw mother leave.
You saw my brother too go.
I had said “no”.
I had said “no”.
You found an opportune moment
To pin a child below.
I had said “no”.
I had said “no”.
To kiss a squirming child
Forcibly, like there is no tomorrow,
While she said “no”.
I had said “no”.
Your terrible little touches
Planted like hateful seeds to grow.
I had said “no”.
I had said “no”.
My tongue did not roll the words.
My scrawny fighting arms did though.
They had said “no”.
I had said “no”.
But the mind rationalized the deed.
It, like him, was not slow.
“Perhaps, he hadn’t meant so.”
But I had surely said “no”.
“She is not to remember anything,”
Mind and memory had a row.
But I still remember saying “no”.
I had said “no”.
Mists of time and space,
I have always remembered though-
With every gram of my 17kg body
I had really said “no”.
- Anonymous