You will fail
Your GPA will drop
You can't do it

I think in the past few months,
I have been told this
Over 50 times.
And you won't believe who it's coming from.

My own mother.

The one who is supposed to be my biggest supporter.
The one who used to think I was smart.
The one who loved be regardless of my mistakes.
The one who I always asked for advice.
My best friend, my partner in crime, my mother.

It's as if nothing I do anymore
really means to her.
It's as if no matter how hard I try,
I still fail in her eyes.
No matter what I accomplish,
I will never hear her say,
"I am proud of you."*

At the end of the day,
the only reason I stay,
in this dreaded house,
is because I have nowhere else to go.

So for now,
I'll sit here,
and listen
to you
tell me
how my life should be
and how I will never amount to anything.