She looks up from behind her veil,
To meet his gaze
With a coy glance,a fluttering eye.
Wary of the tales his eyes with tell.
Their differences are written on their faces.
She is the bride,and her duty is to try
Her best to be good to him and his family.
It's a man's job to give
A woman's to receive-
Her mother had explained shyly.
So she must accept evrything he had to offer.
That is the only way to stay alive
To survive.
From an early age she had it drilled into her
She
Was trapped in a cage of conventions
(And so was he)
From which she could not shift to another destination
She had had a one track life
And ended up with the honorable title of wife.

Their hands are thrust together
One on the other.

She hasn't learnt to ask
Just accept.
Acceptance isn't a a difficult task
Doubt is a foreign concept.

She watches as her father
Hands her over
To a stranger.
She looks on,
Just a pawn
Just an Indian woman.