A poem for all women

This is a poem given to Hillary Clinton by a New Delhi (India) college woman and read by Hillary in her address to the Rajiv Gandi Foundation in New Delhi, India, 1996.

Send it to the women in your life. It's powerful !

Silence
by Anasuya Sengupta

Too many women in too many countries speak the same language – of silence.

My grandmother was always silent, always aggrieved, only her husband had the cosmic right (or so it was said) to speak and be heard.

They say it is different now, but sometimes I wonder.

When a woman gives her love, as most do, generously, it is accepted.

When a woman shares her thoughts, as some women do, graciously, it is allowed.

When a woman fights for power, as all women would like to, quietly or loudly, it is questioned, and yet, there must be freedom if we are allowed to speak. And yes, there must be power, if we are to be heard.

And when we have both (freedom and power), let us not be misunderstood.