Is there any place,
To call my own.

Is there any thought,
I can own?

Shackled through centuries
At the mercy of man.

I, a woman
Am a shadow.

Burnt alive.

Stoned to death.

Sold at bazaars.

Whipped at whim.

I question
This miserable existence?

But
No one hears my plea.

Eons go by,
I'm still in this rut.
The burning,
The stoning,
Has not stopped.

I resign.
And accept my fate.

I, a woman
Am, a shadow.

Never to be seen,
Never to be heard.

This is my fate,
This is my existence.

Weary,
Desperate,
Exhausted.
I take the final step.

To eradicate myself,
From this existence.

I break the shackles,
Slip into the night,
Not knowing how to end,
This miserable life.

But—
That night
Amidst despair,
I hear...
The Melody.

The Melody is hypnotic,
I’m drawn towards it.

I walk,
Towards the Sound.
Not knowing,
What to expect?

I see a man.
Is it a man?

He sees me.
But makes no move.

I keep my distance,
I am unsure.

He speaks—
I howl.

Like a wounded animal,
I fall to the ground.

IkOankar — The Word,
Penetrates my being.

Centuries of shackles,
Loosen their hold.

“You are a spark of the Divine Light,
Recognize your origin.”

I weep.
I wail.

Me, a nothing,
Me, a nobody,
Has within,
A spark of Divinity.

Tears subside,
I'm filled with wonder.

The Melody continues...

I'm surrounded by Light.
Every pore of my being
Is filled with this Light.

“Your womb is the cradle,
That gives birth to kings.
Your love is pure,
It nurtures the saints.

“You, my child,
Are not unclean.
Unclean are the eyes,
That see you in that light.”

I melt
At
Every word.

Amrit flows.

I glow.

“You are not a commodity,
You are not a property.
You are a spark of Divinity,
Recognize your worth.

“I give you the name Kaur,
It belongs to you.
Stand tall, my child,
I am with you.”

That moment,
I transcend.