Category : Poems

Sub Category : N/A

Try harder 
Do better 

It was your motto
Your slogan of life
It’s what I strived to do
To do for you

Try harder 
Do better

Don’t give up
Don’t give in 
And oh my
Don’t you dare forget

Try harder 
Do better

A slogan
That repeated in my head
Day after day
Hour after hour

Try harder 
Do better

It’s what played in my head
Every time I got a bad grade 
Or when remembering the material 
Seemed humanly impossible 

Try harder 
Do better

It’s what I said 
Whenever asked to do something 
As I didn’t want to mess up and 
Risk having to redo it all

Try harder 
Do better

It’s what I remembered as soon as I woke up
That if the house wasn’t clean
If the kids weren’t taken care of 
I would for sure be labeled as lazy 

Try harder 
Do better

Were the words you spoke 
Whenever I got a B or C
Whenever I didn’t score perfection 
Whenever I wasn’t top in class

Try harder 
Do better

Are the words you said 
Whenever that chore or that task 
Wasn’t done to perfection 
When it wasn’t done right 

Try harder 
Do better

It’s what I remembered 
When I woke up
When I went to sleep
And when I prepared to do anything 

Try harder
Do better

A slogan you repeated 
A constant ringing in my ears
A motto I grew up with 
So I tried harder and harder
I did better and better

And after years and years 
Of my many accomplishments 
Of my multiple successes 
And the multifarious opportunities I had opened for myself 

I had thought I exceeded your expectations 
That I tried harder than you thought I would 
That I did better than you expected 

Because growing up I lived by the motto 
That I didn’t try hard enough 
That you could do better
So I always did better

But even after all those pushes and shoves
Even after all your harsh words
And even after everything I endured
To come to where I am now

I thought it was safe
To ask you this question 
To try and understand 
Why you had pushed so hard 

The answer I got though wasn’t what I was looking for 
I prayed that you’d give this speech 
About how one should never give up 
And should always keep trying 

But you just answered with a scoff 
And said I was a bad kid
And I needed to be taught
How to work and behave 

And because of my deadly curiosity 
I asked you the one question I needed answered 
Did I ever make you proud?
Were you ever impressed? 

Sadly I got my answer 
As you walked out the door
Responding with a simple and honest NO

Programmed 
Made to follow
A motto you made
A slogan you installed in my life

And despite following it with precise movement 
Despite the pain and dissapointment I endured
Despite all the struggles 
And despite the pain

All I have is the ability 
To work hard
And to do my best
But I don’t have the very few words I wanted in life

I am impressed and proud of you every single day