Megha Sood

This chapbook is a true reflection of the feminist soul that I carry. All the poems in the collection are centered around body politics and its toxicity. My poems are a deep exposition of gender-based discrimination, sexual and reproductive rights violations that references my experience emanating from gender-based bias and proliferation of hate speech against women. These poems are not only the reflection of blatant violation of body rights but also address the human rights violation in today's toxic political environment as a whole. The first half of the collection with poems like" False Ownership'', "An Exercise in Futility" and'' My body Is Not An Apology", talks about body and female subjugation. For poems in the latter part "Resistance", "Even my grief should be productive", "When Men explain me things", and "How to be Woman" I have tried turning them on their heads to show not just how oppressive but also how ridiculous it is to rule and punish by gender division. The middle part of my collection including the poems" Peace - a metaphor for denial", "A Just Immigration Policy", "Unforgivable", "An Act of Self Defence" reflects how the body politics never remains an individual level but molds and morphs into a social monster birthing problem like human rights violation, immigration, gun violence, and racial discrimination. The tail end of my collection with poems like "Path to my freedom", "My Survival Story" and "My Body Like A Threat" talks about the strength and resilience which directs and guides me through the turbulent times and paves my path towards my survival. This chapbook highlights my journey, gives it a voice, and strengthens the fact that how the body is so central yet it remains invisible and still acts as a threat. This chapbook of mine is a clarion call towards eradicating gender-based discrimination and body shaming. It is not a request but an unapologetic and unfettered demand to see your body as a prayer, not an apology but a safe space where your soul can reside without any contempt or disdain. As a woman of color and surviving a patriarchal society these poems of mine build a discourse around feminine strength. It is a testimony of my survival story of living in a society full of misogyny. This is a book full of hope and empowerment.

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