Escape to Heaven
a song/poem about a young girl escape a coercive marriage
Note: This is purely fictional and not a missive to encourage suicidal ideation.
Red hair in ringlets,
White dress with cream accents.
She's crying her makeup off,
Her mother snarls at her to stop.
/
This was happening,
Whether she liked it or not.
She'd finally be rid
Of the child she didn't want.
/
He's waiting at the altar,
He's 30 years older...
She's only thirteen,
And her life is over.
/
Hitch up your skirts,
And run from the church,
And escape to heaven.
Escape to heaven.
Climb to the peak,
Where the cliff meets the sea,
And escape to heaven.
Escape to heaven.
/
Barely after her first blood,
She was assaulted by the deacon,
In the back of his Buick
While the radio played gospel music.
/
Weeks later she finds out,
She's gonna be a mother now.
Her mother calls her a slut,
And plans the wedding in a month.
/
She's trembling head to toe,
She wishes she was invisible.
She desperately wants an out,
This can't be what life's about.
/
Hitch up your skirts,
And run from the church,
And escape to heaven.
Escape to heaven.
Crash into the water,
Swim a little deeper.
Escape to heaven,
Escape to heaven.
/
And when they buried her,
Her mother watched in metal handcuffs.
Later, she would be murdered,
And she didn't escape to heaven.
She didn't escape to heaven.
Child marriage is still distressingly common around the globe and there are politicians in the United States who want to allow predators to marry barely pubescent girls. We have to fight against this injustice to keep young girls safe.
About the Creator
CT Idlehouse
I write stories and articles. Sometimes they're good.
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Comments (1)
This one is a harsh reality, a bitter pill to swallow. An important topic that must be brought to the forefront. I have heard in recent months talk in, of all places, the United States that in some states that want to make it legal for an adult to marry a minor. This cannot happen. We must fight against the current regime in Washington DC that is paving the way for despicable acts as this. Now touching on the artistic side of things, this poem is masterfully written. As I read it I am in awe how you put the words together with each successive line working well with its predecessor. The way you wrote this makes the impact of an already controversial subject even more gripping. You are an exceptionally talented writer.