ODE Poem: What Every Oldest Daughter Should Know, by Adrian Chobot

If you see something wrong that is your responsibility,
Whether it was your problem shall not matter.

Always care for others before yourself;
This goes for your siblings and your parents.

You will hear every “I’m sorry” in the book;
Never a “thank you for everything.”

If your parent or sibling cries you must be strong,
Hold them while you hold back your tears.

Your feelings do not matter here.

Be responsible you are not allowed to mess around;
That takes away from your time to be helpful.

Every action must have a goal,
A goal that must be for the greater good of everyone.

You are the example,
You must always act as such.

Success.
That is your only option.

But do not succeed too much,
That will take away from helping them.

Do not make your parents look bad,
They are the best parents.

The best parents are the ones who raise the independent child;
The parents who do absolutely nothing.

All your work is not to the credit of yourself,
It is to the credit of everyone else.