The Heavy Weight of Expectations

The pressure seems to build inside, With the endless tasks and duties, The heavy weights I must stride, The perfect grades and tidy room, All the chores and practices galore, The heavy yoke of "shoulds" and "musts", Weigh heavily on this core. The darkness creeps within me, The tiredness that seems to never end, All the hopelessness and sadness, The thoughts that logic transends. But I will fight this battle, I will not give in to fear, I will find the strength within me, And know my worth is clear. I am more than the grades and tasks, More than what I do and make, I am loved for who I am, Not for the paths I take. So I will lift my weary head, And stand tall against this tide, For I have worth that nothing, Can diminish or deride. I will fight and I will win, This long battle within my mind, For I am more than expectations, I am love, hope, and kind.