READY NOT

Young as she is
She bears a burden
Not by choice
Forced, by circumstances.
She was forced
Due to poverty
Her books
Gather dust beside her bed
Her tears flow
In silence she mourns
Every night she must
Perform her duty
Like a dutiful wife
He is twice her age
He owns her like a slave
Every night
He tears into her
Day after day
Her future fades.

Young and beautiful
Ripe for the picking
Her life is a fairy tale
She was sold before her time
To a man she knew not
She stands in front of the mirror
In her wedding dress
Wishing things were different
The man she belongs to
Loves her to death
He may be twice her age
His heart is young
Fear and love
Are joined that night
Produce a child
The devil would hate.

©thelma migue, 2010

From the cizoepoetry collection.