I used to know a girl

who spent her life trying to prove

That she was worth more than

What others expected.

She was the youngest

Surrounded by a family 

Of overachievers

Of succeeders

There was always a need to be better

Even if it was only just one thing

Even if it didn’t actually matter to her

In the end, she just wanted to be great at anything.

Something. 

She tried everything

Piano, tennis, swimming, and art

But nothing ever clicked

She worked day and night

Forcing herself into migraines. 

To get grades 

Good enough in humanities,

Her sister's strength.

She tried to be kind and easygoing like her sister

But no matter what she did

She would always be a failure in comparison

That was the only thing she was good at.

Failing.

Her mother was gentle, her father was hardworking, her sister was successful, and she,

She was a failure.

She now knows a girl

Who spends her days 

no longer needing to prove

that she’s good enough. 

She was still the youngest,

But everything she thought about herself

was only in her head. 

Yes,

A family surrounded her

Full of overachievers

Of succeeders,

But she didn’t need to compare

Herself 

to 

Them. 

She was good enough.

Baking, calligraphy, and photography

Clicked,

Defined her,

They were just as good as what her sister did

And were something she was good at. 

She excelled in math and science,

But not humanities

Her strengths were different

And that was fine.

She wasn’t a failure.

She was just taking a different test.