I call myself a writer

But  do I have a right to?

With words broken, thoughts unspoken,

buried deep inside of me?

And every word beaten back a thousand times.. then picks itself up;

wounded, cursed and struggles to earn me a living…

Every comma, ellipsis, verb, adjective sentenced to death, like me.

My thoughts shackled to someone’s whim..

My pen screaming for mercy.

What do I call myself if not a writer?

Is this not who I was born to be?

Insia Dariwala is a graduate from F.I.T New York (Advertising and Mass communications), loves to tell stories and is a filmmaker. ‘The Candy Man’, her hard hitting debut film on child abuse won her two ‘Best Director’ awards in India (2009, 2010) and also got nominated at Barcelona International Film Festival and the New York Short film Festival in 2010.