Left out or left behind
In your shadow every time

Watched from afar
The praise you received

Admired you
And what you achieved

Your name well-known
Among our peers

Mine forgotten
Year after year

Relentless pursuit
Your path I followed

A hand-me-down
Everything borrowed

Sought your approval
Constantly dismissed

Realization in time
As I now reminisce

So similar to the eye
Yet worlds apart inside

I stopped being you
My first sense of pride

Earning recognition
Embracing my own strengths

Not ashamed of my weakness
Hope kept at arm's length

I've gained your respect
I know now it's not needed

Who I am, I always was
My own approval exceeded

© JL Smith