Shaillee Juneja
She traversed the darkness
Those paths filled with
Muted and forced silence
Aching heart
Violated body
And a broken spirit
She traversed them all holding on to her dimming light.
Look at her!
The one who walked ridden with fear and shame.
That woman is me.
She found her courage
And rose from her ashes.
Roaring and owning her light.
She claimed her dignity
She claimed her right to so say NO!
No! it is NOT okay to disguise violation in the cloak of valorous sacrifice
No! It is NOT okay to hustle for acceptance at the cost of your dignity
No! It is NOT okay to keep watering this toxic vine of cultural appropriation, that has choked ones before me and those before them.
Look at her!
That woman declaring NO!
That woman is me.
She stopped hiding behind the shame of her story. And became a story teller.
She fell in love with her broken pieces and made art with the light that shone through her cracks.
She sways to the rhythm of her hips and radiates her luminous smile.
She refuses to carry the sins of others within her body and her life.
She listens her needs with tenderness.
She acknowledges the colors of her past that bleed into her present. And with that palette she paints her future.
Look at her
That Woman, that survivor!
That Woman is Me!!
!~ Shaillee Juneja
A Thriver
Shaillee Juneja
