Anonymous
We scrolled through photos and bios
‘Til we found the perfect one
A puppy with all the assets
Our search was finally done
Blonde hair to match our home
A size, not too big or small,
With just one simple filter,
we could sort to match it all
Whenever we saw a moment,
We’d find an opening to drop
That phrase that’s now accursed
“Adopt, Don’t Shop”
Little did we know,
what life would bring our way
Struggles with infertility
Our dreams had gone astray
The next step was adoption
It seemed the natural course
But the struggles that we had
Would only get much worse.
The impossible choices to manage,
What drugs, what races, what rights?
The decisions overwhelming
Our synapsis slowly fried.
The background check, The home study
The fingerprints, the funds,
The whole entire process
Drained ‘til we were done.
We let go of our dreams,
Let go of our children’s hands
A final end to our journey
A future that neither had planned
When we told our friends and family
They cried and they consoled
Not knowing what to do with
a family that wouldn’t grow.
Unfailingly, they’d advise
Almost without a thought
If your done with fertility treatments,
“why don’t you just adopt?”
Adoption is beautiful
A selfless, noble goal,
but it isn’t the only solution
to make a family whole
My wife and I are happy,
With our dogs from stanza one,
Together we are family
Our new journey just begun.
We no longer tell others
“To adopt, don’t shop”
Our opinion isn’t needed
It’s their family, full stop.
