I Might Have been

Both my parents were intelligent
And well educated,
As were all my grandparents
And great grandparents.
Doctors, scientists, professors,
Architects, writers, economists,
All abounded in my family.
My father went to Oxford
And gained a First.
Then he became an international lawyer,
With a huge multi-national firm,
Travelling the world,
Living a life that most people can only dream of.
He loved it.
My mother went to Cambridge
And also gained a First.
She'd gone into banking
And was a rising star,
Tipped to reach the top.
Vice President?
President?
Everything seemed within reach.
She worked terribly hard,
With long hours,,
And intense pressure.
But she was ambitious
And her job was her life.
The one evening she drank too much
Forget to take her pill
And I came into being.
At first she couldn't believe it.
Babies weren't included in the vision they had for the future.
They discussed me.
Endlessly.
And decided that there was no way I could come into their lives.
They'd just bought a new house,
Which cost the earth;
They'd booked next year's safari holiday;
My mother was in line for a big promotion;
A baby would ruin her prospects;
My father didn't feel he was ready for the responsibility of a child;
And anyway, he spent weeks at a time abroad;
They'd have to give up most of their social life;
No more exciting holidays all over the world;
They had lots of plans for the future,
But none of them included me.
So I would have to go.
Perhaps I would have grown up to become a doctor
And discover a cure for cancer,
Perhaps I would have become a famous musician,
Or the inventor of a product that would improve many people's lives,
A teacher who would inspire thousands of children;
A peacemaker who would draw people together and stop wars.
No-one will ever know what I might have grown up to be
Neither me nor my parents or anyone else
For I was not allowed to live
To find out.