Birthday Boy

BOY
by April Halprin Wayland

I was born underwater
and they thought I’d be a daughter.
Surprise! A boy!

I wagged my tail, I sniffed, I barked
and scared an old man in the park.
A dog?  A boy.

To swim for hours?  My greatest wish!
So perhaps I am a fish?
No, I’m a boy.

Neither dog, daughter nor sturgeon,
someday I’ll be a surgeon.
Now?  I’m a boy.

(c) 2011  April Halprin Wayland, all rights reserved
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The story behind the poem:
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I’m a mother so I can write a birthday poem for my boy if I want, right? Yes, he was born underwater and yes, a psychic and a fortune teller told us he’d be a girl. When he was small, he liked being a dog.  One day he nearly gave an old woman a heart attack when he barked a friendly hello.  His record in a hotel swimming pool was something like six hours–he just didn’t want to get out.  And yes, he is thinking of becoming a surgeon.
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Thanks to Bruce Balan for the first line of the last stanza!
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A mom beaming with pride can brag, right?  These days he’s a young man. Happy Birthday to an amazing, funny, generous and wonderful young man.