My burden isn’t so simple.
It’s not just the emotional kind,
But the physical kind as well.

I carry the weight of striving for perfection
During technique classes at dance.
Falling and while my knee slams on the light gray floor,
I clench down on my teeth, and I watch the painful bruise start to form.
Fighting and struggling to do that last push up,
When all I want to do is scream because of the
Excruciating pain my arms are going through.

I carry the burden of having to balance my social life,
While still succeeding at managing my school work,
And still having enough energy for dance.
Sometimes it seems like too much,
And some nights it feels like a battle between me and the clock.

I carry the emotional burden of continuously being
Compared to my older brother.
I try to walk in his shoes,
But the problem is,
His shoes don’t fit me.
I’m unique, but I don’t always appear that way to everyone,
And I know that I have my own road to follow.