"It's a Boy"

It’s a boy,

the nurse declares,

indicating the pixelated penis,

the sonogram blurry as a

Rorschach’s.

They see what they want,

draw their own conclusions.

It’s a boy,

the mother says with pride.

She buys blue blankets,

periwinkle pajamas.

The father imagines teaching

his son to score touchdowns.

It’s a boy,

the banners cheers –

and blue is everywhere:

streamers, balloons, paper cups,

even in the eyes of the pink fetus

nestled in the blonde woman’s belly.

Her laugh twinkles summer-sky blue.

It’s a boy -

the first words the newborn hears

as the doctor ruptures the quiet, passes

the swaddled bundle from hand to hand.

The new parents have no reason

to doubt, or to suspect that he could be wrong.

With the birth certificate ink still wet

(sex: M), mother, father, and child

go home to a blue nursery –

a blue life.

#thevenuscomplex #poetry