“You’re smart.”
“You’re capable.”
“You’re going places.”
I smile
every time they say it.
But sometimes
being the person everyone believes in
feels like another assignment
I can’t fail.
Get good grades.
Make your family proud.
Choose the right career.
Don’t waste your opportunities.
Nobody tells you
what to do
when you’re scared.
Nobody tells you
that sometimes
you don’t know
who you want to become.
I’m seventeen,
not a finished product.
I’m still learning
how to carry
my own expectations
without carrying
everyone else’s too.
Kids Help Phone (KHP) is honoured to share creative content submitted by youth from coast to coast to coast as they Feel Out Loud with us. We thank the Feel Out Loud Community Creator of this piece for their contribution to youth mental health and well-being in Canada. For more information on the Feel Out Loud Community Creator Space and / or how you can submit your own creative content for possible publication, you can visit the submission page.
