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Posted on by Reena Saxena

your voice was stern
and expression hard
when you asked
what or whom was I mourning

I learnt it for the first time –
Grief needed social sanction
I was not allowed to feel sorry
about things that fell outside
social sanctorums

you said, show me a woman
who behaves the way I do
my embarrassing existence
was to be kept under wraps

I only felt pity
for all those frogs croaking in wells
at high pitch, like they own the world
I jumped into the ocean
to meet my fate
or my ship
or my destination
to just be

MTB at dVerse

15 thoughts on “No approval required”

  3. I echo Srikanth’s comment, which is so well said. And I loved the frogs croaking in wells reference to all the cacophony going on. Wonderful.

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  6. This is a powerful and beautifully crafted piece. It speaks with a raw, defiant voice that is both haunting and deeply relatable.

    What stands out most is the brilliant contrast you’ve created. The poem begins in the suffocating space of judgment and “social sanctorums,” where grief is policed and identity must be “kept under wraps.” Then, it makes that breathtaking leap into the vast, liberating expanse of the ocean.

    The metaphor is stunning: reducing the critical, conformist world to “frogs croaking in wells” while you choose the boundless, unknown, and potentially perilous ocean. It’s a triumphant declaration of self, a refusal to be small, and a brave embrace of your own journey—where the destination matters less than the act of seeking “to just be.”

    This is more than a poem; it’s a manifesto for anyone who has been told their grief, their way of being, is wrong. Thank you for sharing such a potent and moving piece.

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