Reaching for the Stars
sometimes i feel like
this is all a test, like
one big hovering gauntlet is over my head.
if i fail, at least i did my best?
never enough, my best will never be enough; i must always shoot for the stars.
people are depending on me,
i have to make them proud;
and for those who have doubted me,
i will prove them wrong.
my standards are impossible,
my bar presides my honest upbringing, but i can’t stop now when
i’m so close to the top.
i must widen the gap, i must
pierce the glass ceiling–
no, i must hurl rocks.
but it was never placed on my shoulders, this mantle, this pressure to achieve.
the perpetrator was always me; performing before an audience of one, i’m my toughest critic.
i never take a vacation.
i’m always on call. i never sleep. i’m relentless. i need to learn how to take a step back
and marvel at my achievements.
i’ve never been to the moon but that won’t stop me from reaching for the stars.
Mecca-Amirah Jackson 