I am bumped and shoved,

Yet somehow that doesn’t affect me.

I love New York.

It’s where I belong.

Getting caught in the hustle and bustle that the city life has to offer,

That’s what I want.

I may be a little girl in a big city,

But someday that will change.

One day I will have my own office.

I’ll be sitting up high in a building overlooking the streets of New York City.

I want to have a successful career.

Not because I want to be rich.

Not because I want to live a lavish lifestyle.

I’ve never had that…

I’ll never want that…

Success to me isn’t about the paycheck,

It’s that I have done what people said I could not do.

“How will you get through college without me?” she says,

Yet she’s not the reason I am where I am today.

And somehow,

I am still in the top ten of my class.

I have done fine without you.

I am independent.

She’s stressed about the financial burden of college,

I get it.

But so am I.

I don’t get enough credit.

All of the work that I’ve done to this day,

She’ll never know…

Never understand…

Nothing I do is ever enough…

I’m done.

Fed up.

Ready for the next step of my life.

Because I have nothing to lose,

But so much to prove.

I am ready…

Ready to graduate.

Ready for college.

Ready to meet new people.

Ready to get an internship in NYC,

And then a job.

I am so close to starting my future I can taste it.

The finish line is months away and then I’m free.

Free…

Free to make my own choices.

To make my own mistakes.

But it will be okay,

Because I trust myself.

And I know that I will get to where I want to be.

No longer will I be a little girl in a big city,

Watching people dressed up in business attire going to work.

That will be me…

And I hope that someday I will inspire another little girl,

Like these strangers have inspired me,

Because I have no other way to repay them,

Then to help someone as they’ve helped me.

They will never know…

They gave me something to wake up for every day,

Knowing I have a great future ahead of me.

Something to strive for.

Something to live for…

One day I WILL inspire others,

Give them something to live for,

Let them know that everything will be okay,

Because that was once me…

I am bumped and shoved,

But I have not fallen…

I will always stand strong,

And give back,

Because that is what success was meant for.