A Dream Interrupted : i am only seventeen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today, my heart carries the weight of stories too big for seventeen.
I watched her walk in — a child stitched into the costume of a woman — and I wanted to freeze time,
to beg the world to let her be little a little longer.
But life, ruthless and impatient, has already pressed its fingerprints into her skin.

She told me about a home that could no longer hold her —
a father, worn thin by poverty and despair,
who pushed her into a marriage she was too young to carry.
Now she stands at seventeen, a mother herself,
bruised by hands that vowed to protect,
working tirelessly to feed a tiny life cradled in her arms.
Childhood — a door slammed shut behind her.
Womanhood — a mountain she never asked to climb.

And here I am, standing with a pen,
the only sword I know how to wield against the things I cannot change.
So I write —
I write because some battles are fought on paper,
because sometimes ink is the only way I know how to scream, and pray, and love, and grieve all at once.
I write because she deserves a story that does not end here.

I want to tell her —
You are not wrong for still craving childhood,
for wishing the world would be softer, slower, kinder.
You are not broken because you carry dreams in one hand and duty in the other.
You are not less because life handed you a story you did not choose.
You are breathtaking, even when you are unsure.
You are luminous, even when the nights feel endless.
You are allowed to grieve the girl you were supposed to get to be.
You are allowed to laugh anyway, dance anyway, live anyway.

And when the weight feels too much,
remember there are women —
quiet warriors with pens in their hands and fire in their eyes —
writing you into forever.
We see you.
We honor you.
We have not forgotten you.

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Dear Friends,

I cannot save this one today,
but I can save another one tomorrow.
I may not have the capacity alone,
but with you by my side, we can do much —
reach many, save generations, and turn the tide for families.

Together, we can stop early marriage.
Together, we can make a stand against teenage pregnancy.
Together, they can have a skill.
Together, they can give their children a better future.
Together, we can create safe spaces for teenage mothers.
Together, we can be the safe space.
Together.

Will you join us?

For more information : Check out our website https://birthandbeyondkenya.org/en/run/