Mom and Dad,
I wish I could see you
as the same people from my childhood.
now, every time I look at you
I see what I should have done.

You moved here from a foreign land.
You fought to give me opportunities.
I gave you nothing in return, except
for my empty promises.

I promised I would make you proud.
$18,000 of your labor every year
is spent to educate me.
I tried my hardest. But everyone
else is better.

I look into your faces. It’s a love I know,
but I can’t see. Instead, I see myself.
Is it normal to feel this worthless?
I look deep in the mirror, hoping to see myself.
all I see is everyone else.

You always set me free.
You want to see me succeed.
I want to see the same.
but how can I live my life
when my brain is suffocating me?

I have faith in your love.
I don’t have faith in myself.
maybe everyone feels the same
but can’t admit it.

You taught me to be proud of
who I am.
I can’t find this person you see.
She’s lost in a sea of people.
The weight of everyone’s success on her shoulders.