I always cry too hard,
Strive too far,
Reach too high.

I always work too hard,
Love too much,
Cry myself to sleep.

I’ve always gone above and beyond,
That is the life of an overachiever,
After all,

I have always been the gifted child
overachiever and overworking myself
desperate for approval
if I get good grades, maybe my parents will love me
get straight A's
get on the honor roll
be the top of my class
a B is the same as an F
you drilled that into me
my worth was dependent on my grades
if I wasn't the best, I was worthless
I hold these messages to this day
no matter how detrimental they are to me
now staying a the top and the best grades is a struggle
I can't be the perfect child anymore

Tried so hard it surpassed my limits
I'm a drained over achiever and a dreaming believer
Really my work is a reward if you could tell by my eyebags
Education system won't let me take a breather
Determination is my pill and I won't stop until I'm burnt out.

You don't give a glass of water
  To a drowning man
And you don't throw a thirsty man  
  Into the deep blue sea

Yet I drank deep of that glass
  Though my lungs were full of water
And thanked you for the refreshing swim
  As I gulped the briny down.

Hang me with a pretty red scarf,
Gag me with my ambitions,
let me suffocate.

My chaos is my own doing,
Leave me to die on my own ******* sword.

is it okay to
want so much & work so hard
yet have so little?

Some think that a well thought out compliment
Is the best gift to give me.
What they don't know is that it stifles me,
Buries me under yet another layer of self doubt,
Wondering yet again, “What if I fail them?”
What if I'm just a fake, a fraud?
What if suddenly I wasn't so amazing, so perfect?
I love to be treasured,
But what happens when everyone
Finds out I'm just fool's gold?