DREAMer

Remain in the shadows if you want to stay.

It was a secret that had to be kept

They aren’t like you

But I never dared ask why.

They warned me about what could happen

if this secret were set free

I was four and a half

& had no idea what it all meant.

My parents always said

try hard, be determined, be good

& you’ll learn to succeed here.

But what was this “here”

they always talked about?

A new home, a new country, a new life ?

Soon I learned I couldn’t just try hard, be determined, and be good

to succeed in a country that didn’t want people like me.

Papers, social security number, and financial aid.

It might not seem like a lot but it is;

That’s what separates us with them .

I did what I had to.

I kept my grades up, stayed out of trouble.

But that still won’t be enough.

I’m just an undocumented DREAMer

trying to reach the American Dream