Gifted

She aged for a while

as the years would pass,

Until suddenly she stopped.

Plants grew and wilted,

Clothes were stitched and quilted.

And yet she never required a prop.

Some called her insane.

No doubt she was gifted,

But it was odd that her hair never greyed.

For death made his visits,

Yet left her with extra minutes.

So it had been multiple decades.

An artist at her heart,

She was talented with words,

And her desire was that her name be known.

But her family tore the paper and made her writing forbidden.

They kept all the women in the house hidden,

So eventually, she was alone.

Centuries passed,

Yet she had no freedom,

As a woman, she could expect no more.

She protested the laws and would constantly question,

She begged and begged anyone who would listen,

to allow her the world to explore.

Those with talent had short lives,

And glory does not last for long.

So, she continued to work and express,

Not stopping even once at all.

After many successes, she then hit a wall,

And knew this was the end of her progress.

She had lived a long life after all.

- Akshaya Pai