I once dreamed about dying all alone. I was a problem child who seemed to do no right. My teachers treated me differently than the other kids, the kids treated me differently from the other kids, and my parents didn’t treat me at all. Despite this, school was my haven, I lived for school and I lived because of school.
I dreamed that nobody understood me. How could I ever possibly live like this? I dreamed I stunk and I wore the same handy-me-downs passed to me from my brother everyday. I dreamed that I only had one person in this world who understood me. I dreamed that this person was my brother. I dreamed about my parents splitting up and forcing me to choose between them. I dreamed that I chose neither. I once dreamed I had to choose to be Crip or be Piru, I once dreamed I got out of that. I once dreamed I would grow to be a kid who beat the odds. I dreamed that one day I would use my experiences to help others. I have dreamed about throwing my hands up and quitting. I once dreamed a man told me that quitters never win. I dreamed that I was a boy forced to be a man. I once woke up and realized that this nightmare was my life.