They say my name but it never stands alone. It always follows someone else’s— “Why can’t you be more like…” Their trophies hang on the wall, shining. Mine live quietly inside my effort. You measure me with someone else’s ruler, and I keep coming up short in a race I didn’t choose. They are the smart one. The talented one. The responsible one. And I am… the almost. The “you could do better.” The “try harder.” The shadow standing next to brighter light. But what if I’m not meant to bloom like them? What if I’m a different kind of flower growing in the same garden? You water them with praise and me with pressure, and still I grow— quietly, stubbornly. One day I hope you see I was never behind. I was just becoming something you didn’t know how to measure. 🌷 .by sostiana🤍🍒!