Baby Blues

Baby Blues
 
Tom considered himself a very lucky man
His girlfriend, Sally, was pregnant, going for a 20 week scan
They decided they wanted to know the sex,  
and Tom’s heart was filled with joy
When the Stenographer proudly announced
That they were having a boy

When they left the hospital, Sally seemed in a daze
She’d told Tom that she longed for a girl  
And Tom thought it was just a phase
She was filled with disappointment  
And a deep-seated flood of guilt
She could clearly see that Tom  
Was overjoyed to the hilt

Most of her friends had had babies
And most had wanted a girl
When she mentioned this to Tom
Insults he would hurl
Gender disappointment was the emotion she was feeling
Her true feelings about the result of the scan
She'd have some trouble concealing

She thought about her workmate
A woman she knew as Shirl
Unable to bond with her son  
Because she really wanted a girl
A baby of the wrong sex
Inside Sally it was growing
“Stupid scan” she murmured  
“I'd have been better off not knowing”

Tom was one of a family of five  
All of his siblings boys
They played football and rugby and other ball-games
And when little shared all their ‘boy toys'

Sally had grown up with three sisters and one brother
But had always felt like the ‘black sheep’
Treated differently by father and mother
Their often cruel comments made her weep

She decided when the child was born
She'd try her best to be fond
But knew deep down in her heart  
She would never form a bond