Shadows

I am so caught up in the what ifs,
I forget about the maybes.
Trying to make everyone else happy,
Forgetting it's me I need to please.

I tried to be the perfect daughter,
contribute to society,
Be the rock for others to lean on,
Always doing what is expected of me.

I try to live up to all the expectations,
that are thrust down on me,
Pushing aside my own dreams,
Be who I am told to be.

I keep my true self hidden,
I can't show the world,
Afraid I won't be accepted,
Afraid of not being heard.

Could I be loved completely,
For the person I truly am?
Or will I be shunned,
For not being the prodigal woman?

I keep letting others control me,
Bending to their every whim,
But deep in my heart I keep hoping,
They will try to discover the person I really am.