A daughter’s burden, heavy and deep,

Whispers of worry steal her sleep,

Will she be the best or just like the rest,

Her head is like a roaring sea,

The waves of her brain crash against one another,

Her list of to-dos is ever so long,

She must complete every task days before due

Pressure to please, to be the best,

She’s always in a battle with her own best self,

The weight on her shoulders is more than a bodybuilder can lift,

Looking in the mirror she sees someone 20 years older,

On the outside, she is normal,

On the inside, unrecognizable,

Her scars invisible to the naked eye,

Her childhood was cut short so that her younger sibling could always stay young,

She is the protector:

Of her mother's feelings, 

Her father’s lies,

And her sister's innocence

Amidst the chaos, she stands alone, 

Her shadow lays cold as stone, 

She must stay strong for she is the oldest,

She must always be the boldest, but never speak before spoken to,

For all she knows is this role that she holds dear to her heart