Never Good Enough Poem by Alexandra Yeboah

I walk across the stage,
the whole school looks on.
the teachers are smiling,
the students are cheering.
Mother is smiling,
Sister is clapping.
I accept my grade eight diploma
with grace.
You look at me with tense eyes.

I play in a recital,
my first recital to-date.
I sparkle all over,
my fingers breathe life into the piano.
I am overwhelmed with joy.
You promise to be there.
I look at every seat.
I see Mother.
I see Sister.
Your seat remains empty.

I succeed.
You don't pay any mind.
I fail.
You criticize.
I exceed at something extraordinary.
You hardly seem to care.
I forget to do what you asked me to.
You explode with anger.

I try my best to be someone you could love.
I get straight A's,
hardly seems worth it.
I make you a special gift,
you thrust it away.
I tidy up my act,
no encouragement from you.
You love Sister more than me.
No matter what I do,
I could never be good enough for you.

You overlook me.
You ignore me.
You humiliate me.
You criticize me.
You hit me.

Because no matter what I do,
no matter how hard I try,
I could never be good enough for you.
I could never be someone you could love.