Child Bride

by Ravinder Malhotra

At last, a smile of freedom
A dream was coming true
Her dress and bangles, she had shown
To friends, old and new

With her bridal makeup
She waited for her groom
Showed no sign of panic when
Drunk, he stumbled into the room

No tender touch, no loving care
Showed her grooms' fire
Broken bangles strewed around
A sign of loveless desire

Then, under his body weight
And a pungent smell around
She bore his carnal passion
On clayed uneven ground

The ground now was witness to
Her innocence in crimson red
Muffled shrieks of terror pierced
The silence beneath the bed

A million arrows pierced her crotch
In pain she sobbed the night
Wondering what her sisters called
A night of unbound delight

*Adaptation from the original by Dr. Rita Malhotra

04-Jul-2010

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Comments on this Poem

the rhymed adaptation has spoilt the impact and essence and the powerful image of the original that is very familiar to me and one of my favourites of Dr Rita's poems. the rhyme also seems forced.

kunal malhotra
07-Jul-2010 14:03 PM