Sadiyah Tasneem

Poem #2

Pressure

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

The question hits me everytime.

Since the day I was born

To me right now.

Some say do what you love.

Others say do something that pays well.

All this pressure,

Leads to stress.

My parents say one thing,

I disagree and think of another.

“Be a doctor”, they say.

As the pressure increases,

So does the tension.

“What if I make the wrong choice?”

“What if I miss my chance to be what I truly want?”

It’s not “what” we should be asking,

It’s “who”.

Who am I really?

Who am I truly?

What if all this time,

we’ve been asking the wrong question?

Shifting just one word,

Triggering our heart to open up,

Our imagination,

Sending us in the best direction.

Not the one that was chosen for you,

By others.

The one that helped you understand you for you.

The one that was chosen by you