Every parent 

Every teacher

And every friend 

Has their own expectations 

Being higher than the others

As if they are stacking their hopes

Upon my shoulder

A tower building i never wanted to climb

It is terrifying 

Trying to live up to others

But the downfall is you lose yourself

Piece by piece 

Trying to fit into their perspective 

Trying to shine how they want

But it doesn't feel like your shining

You'll start thinking about your worth

By the head shakes you receive

The praise you'll keep chasing

The disappointment that creeps up 

You start speaking less

So there are louder

You'll start bending your spine

So that there dreams are shining  brighter that yours

On your back

Somewhere in the middle 

Of you trying to be everything 

For everyone

You forget your sound

Of your own heartbeat

The quiet rhythm

Of who you are

Before the world told you

Who you should be

But in that moment

Small, trembling, honest

Is when you realize

You cannot carry every hope

Without dropping your own

Stand up for yourself

You cannot be their perfect version

And still be whole

So you learn to breath again

To loosen their grip of expectations

Letting some of the weight fall

Without pushing yourself to failure

You learn to become your own person

It's not a disappointment

Its a return

A homecoming

The freedom they won't understand

But the one you need

Maybe one day 

They will see

That we aren't meant

To be their masterpiece

We are meant to be our own 

– E. J.