Married at Fourteen | Sravani Singampalli

I was just like any other child
Studying hard to reach my goal
I had a dream like any other child
Of becoming a teacher
In any one of the high schools
I loved to study
Enjoyed playing with my friends
I made merry all the time
Trying to learn new things
With all my mind
I was just like any other child
Until I became a ‘child bride’.
I was married at fourteen
I didn’t know anything
I became easy prey
To economic burden and family culture
In the face of poverty
And because of social insecurities
My parents wanted to get rid of me
Still I kept silent
As was expected from me
I cried very hard
To escape this brutal reality
I tried very hard
To come out of pessimism
I lost my wonderful childhood
To somebody I didn’t know at all.
I became pregnant
At such a tender age
It caused such pain
For I myself was a child
Doctors simply said that
Either I or my baby would survive
I was really helpless
But with god’s grace
I gave birth to my child.
Now I have only one dream
Of eradicating our poverty
And educating my child
So that she doesn’t suffer
Like I did
Just few months back
As a ‘child bride’.
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Sravani Singampalli is a 22 year old poet from india. She is presently pursuing a doctorate of pharmacy at JNTU Kakinada University in Andhra Pradesh, India.