This poem is about the plight of women of colour (African, Indian, etc) from the point of view of a bird (The Scarlet Ibis). Just like the bird, some of them are enclosed within ‘bars of gold’ with big dreams in their eyes. They do not want to be spoon-fed and have their feathers ‘polished’: They want to be independent and ‘have them covered’ in the ‘sweaty dyes’ of hard work.

I hope when girls read this poem, they have the same awakening and they realize their importance in this patriarchal society of ours. Nikita Parik

A scarlet Ibis’ burnin’ plea…

Enclosed within bars of gold, i glance at the young sun before me
~ with dream-filled eyes;
My polished feathers gleam scarlet in morning shame
~ for i would rather have them covered in sweaty dyes.

Now the youthful halo bedazzles the world with its blinding glory
And the winds all cry,
~good-bye, good bye….

O fiery god of the pagan world,
Bless me with the Fiery nib of Plath’s instrument of freedom
Bless me with a frenzied woman’s prowess, till i accomplish that
which i intend to, in a hundred thousand suns.

Nutopia

“A scarlet Ibis’ burnin’ plea…” and “Nutopia” © 2012 by Nikita Parik. Parik is a 20 year old poet from Calcutta, India. She is in her final year of English at the University of Calcutta and studies French under The Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture.