“The Photographer”
You have a pretty daughter
who has her mother’s eyes
and her father’s aquiline nose
She will make a lovely bride
in the traditional saree and jewelry
I offer to take her photographs on her wedding day
The offer stands
if the wall, on which her photo would hang from
already has her graduation photos
her first day in office
and the snaps of her exploring the world
with her friends
The offer stands
if you can promise me
that her smile on that day
is a genuine one, of happiness
in anticipation of a life she chose
The offer stands
if she could live in dignity and happiness
measured in her terms and not yours
I offer the best
but I have my conditions
Vidya Panicker, a writer based in Kerala, India, has her poems, stories and translations published or upcoming in journals and magazines including The Feminist Review, Muse India, Himal South Asian, East Lit journal, Indian review, Indian Ruminations, Raed Leaf India, Femina fast fiction, Contemporary Literary Review of India, Indus Woman Writing, 4and20poetry.com, and Reading hour magazine. She won the second prize in the All India Poetry Contest in 2014 held by the Poetry Society of India and is currently an editor at poetrycircle.com.
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