Expectations

Where do you see yourself in five years?

A music degree? What’s your back-up plan?

Art school? You can draw at home.

College? Too expensive.

No college? And they groan.

Why can’t you be a teacher?

They have the summers off.

I want to be an artist.

They dismiss you with a scoff.

Why don’t you be a lawyer?

They can pay off student loans.

Are you sure that, as a woman,

you can run things on your own?

Why don’t you be a doctor?

What does your family think?

What I want is happiness...

That’s the missing link.

I’m working toward my goals,

and I’ve gotten by so far

I’m working toward my dreams

And I say what those are

No, my plans aren’t bulletproof

No, they’re not airtight

But I’m working and improving

For me? That’s alright

I’m determined and devoted

To my passions and my life

I’ll be happy and completed

Even if I’m not a wife

We’ll be criticized for everything, for anything, for all.

But I’m in charge, and in control.

You can’t make me feel small.