It’s growing.
The pressure to be perfect.
I am the middle child, just okay.
Big brother,
Straight-A’s, AP classes, super athletic, good at everything.
Younger sister,
Beautiful, nice, wonderful imagination, boys drooling at her feet.
I need to be my brother, the perfect student.
But the bar is set too high, just out of reach.
I must maintain my composure,
She looks up to me.
I’m slowly failing both of them.
My grades are slipping,
Those godawful B’s and C’s are back.
She has low self-esteem,
And it’s all because of me,
The way I see myself.
The stakes are rising,
I need to be perfect.
Or I am worth nothing.