…But They Are Your Parents!

You tell me like I don’t know that,
Like I don’t wake up and see them,
Like I don’t understand who they are,
Like I’m clueless to their existence,
Like I am blind to their faces,
But I know who they are, always have,
A father who couldn’t give a shit about family,
And a mother who’s forever a victim.

You insist it’s their first life,
That it’s their first time as parents,
That they are learning this whole thing,
That they need to be approached with grace,
That they need to be seen and loved,
That they have suffered enough to this point,
And I want to understand you truly,
Gods, I really do, but what about me?

Is it not my first life with them too?
Is it not my first time seeing them too?
Is it not my first time being their family?
Is it not my first experience with them?
Is it not my first time being a daughter?
Is it not my first time being their child?
Or am I supposed to focus on them only,
When I don’t understand their selfishness?

Why is it so easy to point hands here?
When I am just struggling as they are?
When I am suffering like they are?
When I am in constant pain because of them?
Why can’t they understand me too?
Why can’t they see me as their child too?
Why is it so hard for them to understand?
Perhaps it’s because they are my parents?

…But they are my parents!
And you’re right on this,
‘Coz that is who they really are,
My parents. My guardians. My family.
So why does it feel different?
They should see me as their child,
They should be kinder to me too,
They should be my parents… or shouldn’t they?

You point fingers so fast and with ease,
Like I woke up a monster they didn’t know,
Like I shamelessly did this to myself,
When all I am is a daughter in need,
A child who wants her parents’ understanding,
A girl still trying to survive life’s chaos,
Yet one who might never be understood,
‘Coz you only care about them being parents.