my hopes, my dreams, my goals

are not my mother’s

they are not my father’s

they are not anyone’s

but my own.

sometimes i lie and wonder

why it is okay

for my mother

to decide

what i should hope for

what i should dream about

what i should long to achieve

because it is not really her choice.

it is really

my choice

but it is still

decided by others.

i will set my own goals.

i will hope for what i choose.

i will dream my own dreams.

and no one will choose for me

ever again.