Is It Worth It?
Location
"Is it worth it?" ...You ask,
"Wasting your time, Is it worth it?"
And my first reaction is to laugh
Are you seriously asking that?
You? my "friend"...
Well let me enlighten you.
I was fifteen when I left everything behind,
my friends, my family, my life,
my home, my country, a part of my heart.
I adventured myself into a new country,
new horizons, in search of a dream...
An American Dream,
that if you ask me now
I would say is not American at all,
but multi-cultural...
I didn't need too long to realize
that it wasn't going to be easy at all.
No one likes to start from zero again
but I did...not a choice but a must.
My days in high school were harsh.
Trying hard to learn a new language,
and not to forget mine.
Trying to adapt to a new life,
where the brand of your shirt
and the color of your skin
were more important
than the size and color of your heart...
and we are too blind to see
that we are all the same inside.
And I was bullied and mocked
because of the accent in my voice,
the nationality of my heart,
the wetness of my back,
because of who I was.
And still I hoped for greatness.
Every day a new challenge, a new fight,
a new obstacle to override.
Overcoming my fears and insecurities.
in a system of inequalities.
I believed in my potential,
my intelligence, my drive to succeed.
Despite of everyone and everything
I still believed in me...
Because no one could decide I wasn't worth it,
or control my future, or tell me it cannot be done
but me...the only wall standing
in between my dreams and I
is not a green card, or the color of my skin
is not my accent, or my Mexican pedigree
nothing but me...
And you think is not worth it
fighting for my dreams? I tell you this,
Every sob, every hit, every fight, every sacrifice
it's only not worth it if I give up, if I stop...
If I allow ignorant people like you
bring me down and tear my hopes apart.
But I won't let you, because I'm a Dreamer,
I still dare to believe and to hope
I still dare to fight and live
I still dare to dream.
and I still dare to try
So when one day you come back
asking me for a job and ask me again
Was it worth it wasting my time
I'll answer:
Yes, I'm damn right it was worth it,
every tear, every battle, every failure,
every night of no sleep,
every second away from my family,
every sacrifice and every day
YES it was worth it,
but you... you are not worthy
of wasting my time.