Escape
She sets out on a voyage
To the sound of sea-shells
Smelling the soil of other planets.
Betraying ceremonious sermons
in those parted skies
When wrinkled lips weave woes
Ushering a quest for perpetual bliss
in vermilion marks.
Stories are given birth
In those rustic gardens
Embracing atom and universe
Where the ordinary girl hides her wound
Wearing a crown of rhododendron.
India alone accounts for one third of all child brides worldwide
© Sutanuka Banerjee