(Photo: Ben Rosett on Unsplash)
There was not much to do but wait.
And hope.
The lots were cast,
Though she had very little trust
In such.
It was not for her
To decide.
Now it was just,
The drip of minutes
Through childhood’s hourglass.
Dreams slowly fraying
Into dust,
While growing worries,
Poke trembling shoots
Into her heart.
Will this unknown,
Chosen for her
Husband,
Will he be
Kind?
For Sammi’s Weekend Writing Challenge: unknown in 65 words
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Na'ama Yehuda 
Well now you have to come back and say if he was!
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Ah, wouldn’t we so want to know, in so many of the arranged marriages, forced marriages, and child marriages, how things went? (By the way, I am not against arranged marriages as long as there is a real choice to say no, and a balance of power and consent between the two marrying).
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The very thought of arranged marriage is scary! I hope he’ll be kind and good enough for her. I thought about this very same thing when I saw Sammi’s prompt too! I guess I might tweak my story a little bit. 😉 Good one, Na’ama
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Yes, those can be very scary, especially if the women/girls also have little say in leaving or in retaining custody of their kids or having any property and/or social standing.
I’d love to see what you write regardless of where you take it! I think that keeping it on the same topic is always interesting, too, because no two people take it to exactly the same place!
🙂
Na’ama
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Indeed. It is much worse if they are not financially independent.
Thanks, Na’ama. Maybe I’ll come up with something soon. 🙂
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Yes. I would guess that those who are financially independent are less likely to be subjected to a forced marriage and far less likely to remain in one if it is abusive.
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Yes. True. In India, arranged marriage used to be the norm. But it’s changing now.
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Yes, in many places it used to be commonplace for parents to arrange the marriage of their children. I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong in doing so (as long as the couple has a say and a safe ‘out’ if the arrangement proves incompatible). What is not acceptable to me is if the girl has no choice, no property rights, and is shamed and left destitute if divorced, even if the reason is abuse. It IS changing, hopefully for the better, but there’s still lots more to do. Great comment, Shweta!
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There’s nothing inherently wrong but I, for one would have never married a complete stranger 😅
And yes, it’s not acceptable to me for the following reasons too. Just today, I heard in the news that a young girl was found dead just days after she reported that her husband was abusing her. She didn’t get any support from her family. She was only 24!
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😦 Oh, how terrible! Yes, those atrocities must stop!
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Indeed but some people never learn. They think that failed marriage are the worst thing in the world and then they end up with dead daughters 😦 It’s heartbreaking.
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Indeed. Very much so.
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There’s clearly a big difference between arranged and forced marriages. I can only hope this is the former.
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Yes, a very big difference indeed, though many who are subjected to forced marriages, are TOLD that this is an ‘arranged marriage’ as if to lend it credibility, when in fact, there may be very little control over any aspect of it, especially for the girl/woman (though sometimes also not much control for the other partner, too).
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Brilliant, my friend! So beautifully written. Ugh. I can’t believe arranged marriages exist to this day. Mind you, some of them are rather successful… but still, not my choice!
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Me agree. I know some are successful, and some couples respect each other and learn to even care and love for each other, and that is a good thing. However, I suspect that among the many that are defined as ‘success’ on the outside, there are many that are only ‘long lasting’ rather than really a success … because we only measure it by longevity of the relationship, we must take into account that there are often few options to leave, or untenable penalties for leaving … So, there’s that.
And, yeah, it absolutely ain’t for moi!
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Oh, I know very few are successful in the sense that love and respect enter into the equation (eventually) and no, I do not believe longevity is a sign of success for all the reasons you stated. Definitely not for moi!
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Me and You is agree! 🙂
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😀
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