My feet trip up the mountain.

Around the boulders, twigs, branches, trees.

Muscles contracting and tensing up.

Pausing once in a while to breathe

Assessing the land in front of me.

How much longer ‘til I reach the top? I ask myself.

It’s too much.

The nature around me watches, all its attention on me.

They cheer me on from the sidelines.

It’s too much,

the pressure on my chest and shoulders.

Like I am holding up,

This very mountain that I am climbing on.

Never satisfied, the peak seems unreachable.

It’s too much.

“She’s the first in our family to go to college,”

My mother says proudly.

I cannot disappoint them.

I cannot disappoint her.

Who am I to take this opportunity for granted,

When there are people out there yearning for it?

So I go the extra mile, stay up later, and show the world.

That it is not too much.

I am stronger than ever,

Realizing I can’t be perfect.

I am ready to conquer new heights,

With my dreams in mind.

I am making my family proud,

But also making myself proud.

I will reach the peak of this mountain,

And it is not too much.