Expectations: A Poem by Rupali Mistry

Sometimes we are disappointed by people or circumstances. This is largely due to our expectations from them. But what if our perceptions and expectations could change? Here is a poem that attempts to do that.

(Please note – this is a reverse poem, so read it both ways- upside down and downside up.)This is what I believed.
To limit my expectations!
My parents never told me-
Try and achieve anything
Like the spider and the king
I mustn’t believe in stories!
My teachers never told me
To chase all my dreams
I don’t have the strength
My friends never told me –
I deserve the best from life.
All that I heard was this-
You can’t! You shouldn’t!
The world never told me
I could work to succeed.
And this is what I believed.