I could have spent my time
- like all other women in the world -
In front of the mirror admiring my reflection
I could have sipped coffee
In the warmth of my bed
And chatted over the phone for hours and hours
Not feeling the passing of time

I could have busied myself donning make-up
Applying kohl
Being coquettish
Lying under the sun to tan my skin
Dancing on the waves like all nymphs

I could have busied myself
Putting on adornations of turquoise and rubies
Strutting like a queen

I could have done nothing
Read nothing
Written nothing
Devoted my time to seeking the limelight
To the latest fashions
To travelling the world

I could have avoided refusal
Avoided being full of rage,
Or shouting in the face of the tragedy ..

I could have swallowed the tears
Swallowed the repression
Grown resigned to imprisonment

I could have
Avoided the questions of History
And escaped the self torture

I could have avoided
The sighs of all the down-trodden people,
The cries of all the crushed people,
The revolt of the thousands who have died.
But I betrayed the law of the female
And chose to grapple with words!