INNER CITY STORIES

I need to be myself

Not to find who I am but to mold myself into who I want to be

I need stability, structure, and acceptance

I need to be strong until I can be powerful

I need to be strong for my family

Because no one else will if I’m not

 

I need to be somebody

Not acknowledged by everyone

But accepted by myself

I want to be kind and creative and brutally honest

Because there’s no time for lies and hatred

I want to be forever present in my siblings’ lives

Because I refuse to leave them behind

If I can’t be strong for myself I have to be strong for them

 

I will be successful

Not by society's standards, but by mine

I will be happy in whatever I do

I will laugh when others try to put me down

Because I am strong

Because I am worthy

Because I need to be