a strive for breath

I have zero self esteem, swolen eyes and a dream. A feeling thats             killin' me cus my heart's stopping constantly.

I've got a headache from the tears i cried, and i feel all tore up inside.     My heart gets a beating everytime i dry my eyes. But the tears keep   comin' and i cant stop hoping that my future will look brighter and             that ill rise.

My mom and dad are struggling with the bills, cant keep up with our         school expenses, looking tense, always on defense. I can see them    striving for us. Trying to keep my brothers and sisters aligned, I try             to make it easier for them but it seems the more i stress, the more i bring distress.

My brothers are just kids and they dont know better than to get in all         kinds a mess. Sometimes i see them looking at my parents wondering why they look so tired. The older one's learning, getting to         respect more, and the younger one is following his older brother.

My sisters are alright they learned to deal with life and there's no doubt     they'll succeed in that.

My tears are now dry salt on my cheeks.

Theres an emptyness inside of me, when i think about myself. I dont         care much for me but i cant help to believe there's a brightness ahead of me. I leave the darkness locked up in the room where my         tears dried up and i wont look back cus im stronger than that.

My eyes are still swolen, but my self esteem is a lil higher and i still         have a dream.