For one in three, beatings and abuse , headlined a free press yesterday, the World Day against violence against women. This coincides with the official statistics, but I think it is failing. This is no longer the world day against violence against women. More reason to continue talking about it. I do so with a poem dell'angloindiana Sujata Bhatt, in the beautiful translation of Florence Morman.
Frauenjournal
A woman kills her niece
newborn because it has four. A woman kills
because not enough money,
not enough milk.
A woman kills newborn daughter still eats dinner and
and still wears a green sari.
This is presuming to judge?
Or it's like to bear witness
words?
And another woman in another country
makes sure that his daughter has seven
the clitoris excised with a razor blade.
is what we show tonight
-prime-
We are warned not to let our children watch it.
This has never been taken before.
Sometimes you need to see the truth. The moderator
tells us that words are not enough. Now the camera cuts
the blade-so there's no doubt about the instrument
.
the blade is not a rumor.
Now the camera moves on the face of seven years, she smiles
-innocent-she does not know.
The child feels important, smiled.
And then the blood and then the screams.
Because I think I look? This is becoming
voyeur? Or is
as we begin to bear witness?
and another woman tells us how years ago his daughter
accidentally killed in an attempt to cut the clitoris.
The risks are enormous, he says, but
is proud of his profession. How much reality to bear
know?
And if you're really a poet because you can not
cure everything with your own words? The camera lingers
insistently on the blade.
If nothing else it was not rusty.
How can you load to bear witness to words like
heal everything with words? The woman who filmed
could not afford the luxury of shake or shudder.
had to keep a firm grip.
And the hand that held the blade
did not hesitate.
And if you're really a poet
'll find a voice for women
able to smile after killing his daughter? Where is the point of
bear witness? After
, the child can hardly walk. For days the girl
arrancherà-
incapable incapable incapable incapable
to return to his old self,
to his old lifestyle of children.
Translation Fiorenza Mormile
Sujata Bhatt (1956) is a renowned Anglo-Indian poet. He lives in Bremen. In Italy in 2005, they released the anthology The color of loneliness, Donzelli, edited by Paola Splendore. His lyrics are also present in the India of the soul, by Andrea Sirotti, ed. Letters, 2000, and in Cats like angels. The female eros in poetry in English, edited by Loredana Magazzeni and Andrea Sirotti, ed. Medusa, 2006. Frauenjornal is taken over by bittersweet. Contemporary Black Women's Poetry, edited by Karen McCarthy, The Women's Press, 1998, London.
