Tonality - Marlene Movements from AmericanDREAMers by Melissa Dunphy 

Tonality performs four Marlene movements from
AmericanDREAMers by Melissa Dunphy
Text by Marlene Rangel
Alexander Lloyd Blake, conductor
Gracie Laboy, David Morales, Anthony Moreno, Vera Lugo, soloists
Lyrics:
I was eight years old when I left my home.
I remember my parents waking me to leave,
but I didn’t know where we were going.
We had to walk for a long time
and cross a river.
That’s when I realized
that we were going somewhere far.
My dad would come to school with me
for the first few weeks so I could get used to it.
It was so hard.
I had one classmate who was Hispanic.
He and I became good friends.
As the years passed, my English improved
and I adjusted to the American culture.
Everything had fallen into place
and I was comfortable.
In my junior year of high school, reality hit me.
I found out I could not go to college
because I was undocumented.
I wanted to be a nurse.
My dream wasn’t going to be easy to achieve.
My parents have remained my motivation
to keep myself in school.
I now know that anything is possible.
I have the opportunity to be what I want
and do what I want
I have to take the opportunity and not waste it.