THIS IS NOT HOW IT WAS MEANT TO BE

No! It was not what I bargained for.

I did not ask to be born into a community where the men desired only budding teenagers for wives.

I heard they were told that they were the most viable to produce strong sons

so every mother with a female daughter dreaded the day her little innocent daughter will be turned into a woman.

No! It was not what we deserved.

We were like every other teenager running the streets, excited about our innocence

Till it was snatched away from us.

No! How can I let him touch me?

He is about the age of my father. I know this because I have seen them sit together and chat under the "dogonyaro" tree.

And they laughed like only friends would.

No! I do not feel the same.

My innocence is gone and with it my childhood.

I look in the mirror and the body I see looks like that of my mother

Because in my mind, this is how my mother feels when she looks in the mirror.

Yes! They said I would understand when I grow older

But how much older can I get than I already feel?

Will my daughter pass through the same thing as me?

For how long will I ask these questions?

Osadebe Ijeoma

This piece is dedicated to every child bride and those who fight for them.