A parental voice, a whispered decree,
Echoes through my mind, a haunting spree.
"Follow the path, we've laid out for you,"
They say, as they shadow, my dreams anew.

"Practicality, stability, and security's might,"
They emphasize, as they stifle, my creative light.
"Listen to us, we know what's best for your fate,"
They caution, as they dictate, the career I should create.

Their words, a weight, that presses upon my chest,
A constant reminder, of the dreams I've repressed.
I'm torn between, the path they've designed,
And the fire that burns, deep within my mind.

Years slip away, like falling leaves,
As I conform to their expectations, my dreams I leave.
Time lost in obedience, as my heart slowly dies,
A life unlived, a soul that cries.