Light through the blinds, new streets on my mind

Packed my sneakers quiet, nobody sees me.

Courtroom echoes—name called in a sheet,

Three years of foster, learned to move my feet.

Eight different roofs, colder floors, new doors,

Lost some teachers, found hunger for more.

Mom changed after my brother broke inside,

She couldn't reach me, so I learned to hide.

I wasn't treated bad, but feelings got torn,

Pleasant Hill blocks where Mason lived close by,

I learned to throw line drives and reach for the sky.

Baseball and basketball saved my slow days,

Friends on the curb taught me how to play.

Put up in 2017, paper signed, then wait—

Two and a half years, this Christmas three,

Heart steady, hands ready—light in my sight,

Built from the pieces, I sharpen my fight.

[Chorus - 8 bars] (chantable, repeatable)

From foster halls to brighter lights — I rise, I fight

Mrs. Gooding taught me how to frontstage.

Mrs. Bransteter and Caldwell held the line,

Next to Cooper — new town, same twenty.

Mom works the high school right next to mine,

I see her at lunch, watch our timelines align.

Youngest of the family, but I got loud dreams,

Scraped knees, late nights, chalk on my jeans.

I learned to survive, then learned to belong,

Now I shoot threes and round bases with pride,

[Bridge - 8 bars] (soft strings, vocal double)

Bransteter and Caldwell, you walked by my side.

No blame in my words for how seasons changed,

Just the hurt I felt, and the heart I rearranged.

I hold my past close, but my eyes on the wide —

Tomorrow's my court, and today I'm my guide.

[Chorus - 8 bars] (add doubled vocal, ad-libs)

From cardboard beds to bright front doors,

I rise — I fight — and I rise once more.

I Rise, I Fight 2

Rap,Neutral/Any Vocals