Animosity strikes like lightning
as childhood memories flash

like an old flickering film
A stark reminder, burdened

by towering expectations
Which lay heavy upon small shoulders

Middle child syndrome
a doll without a voice

Tiptoeing through minefields
of emotional mortars

Where the wrong look or word
Sets off a fiery explosion

Yet the scars and trauma
Remain hidden from sight

A generational curse
The hardest to fight