A young mother was cooing her daughter to sleep,
Suddenly walked her mother-in-law making her heart leap,
Everytime her mother-in-law walked into her room, she would demand a thing or two,
'This time she'll ask something big,' somehow her heart knew;

"I wish to have a grandson," her mother-in-law declared,
"I cannot decide whether the foetus will be girl or boy," she reasoned,
"Yes, you can. I have a foolproof plan," her mother-in-law said excitedly,
She looked at her, first surprised and then worriedly;

"We can do it through IVF, don't worry I've done my research," her mother-in-law explained,
"IVF is for couples having problems with conceiving, isn't it?" she asked,
"Yes, but if we pay the doctors little extra money, they'll do it," her mother-in-law assured,
"It is an expensive process and we don't have that kind of money," she said;

"I've kept aside some money, we can use that little wealth -"
"That money which you call wealth is for your health -"
"If I've a grandson, I'll be healthy, if that's what you're worried about," her mother-in-law huffed,
She couldn't believe it, whatever little respect she had was replaced with disgust;

She didn't know how to refuse her, how to explain her,
Also she feared her husband being an obedient son first, might listen to his mother,
To her relief her daughter cried, seeking her attention,
But she could still feel her mother-in-law's gaze and an air of tension;

She knew one thing that she had to fight a few battles,
Because society and it's ways are invisible shackles,
That one needs to break to remove the centuries old obsession of male child,
So that thought of this discrimination is erased from everyone's mind;

She knew with her decision she would be without a home,
She had a job that provided her a steady income,
"I can't stay where these things are being discussed," she declared,
She knew her words had a desired effect, her mother-in-law felt she was slapped.

- Likhitha Reddy
20th February, 2020

A real-life conversation between two ladies in an event left me shocked. I was aghast with the ease with which they spoke of this monstrous idea and citing an example of another woman who made her daughter-in-law undergo IVF for a son. The woman chided that that woman's daughter-in-law was not fit to give birth to a son so they had to take this way.
A law was passed in India so that the sex of the foetus was not disclosed through ultra sonography. IVF is also supposed to be choosing the embryo(s) from a batch of embryos, randomly.
The poem doesn't end abruptly; it's reader's perspective whether the daughter-in-law actually leaves the house or not.

Thank you for reading!