'A Rose in Concrete' Explained

I am a rose in concrete. 

For those of you not familiar with "The Rose that Grew From Concrete", it is a poem written by Tupac Shakur that was later turned into a track on the album "The Rose that Grew From Concrete" in 2000. It's sometimes funny to think that a rapper such as Tupac can speak to my life, considering our drastically different backgrounds. However, as I look back on every monumental event in my life, there is some lyrical connection to a Tupac song that applies perfectly. I could go on and on about the parallels between Tupac's music and my life, but that may come at a later date.

If you think about a rose that is able to grow in concrete, you don't need to know the poem. Immediately, you know that in order for a rose to grow through a crack in the concrete, it needs to beat all odds, surpass people's understandings and expectations, and rise above the norm even when given a tremendously difficult obstacle. Through all of hardships I have endured, including spending 4 years teaching in a less-than-desirable situation, losing my mother, and being the target of harassment, I have not only endured, but I have grown and flourished. I am now embarking on a new chapter in my life. I am a rose in concrete.

Click the movie to hear the song/spoken word version.

The poem can be found below.

Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete?
Provin' nature's laws wrong-
It learned to walk without having feet.
Funny it seems, but by keeping its dreams
it learned to breathe fresh air.
Long live the rose that grew from concrete
when no one else even cared.

You see you wouldn't ask why the rose that grew from the concrete
had damaged petals. 

On the contrary, we would all celebrate its
tenacity. 

We would all love it's will to reach the sun.
Well, we are the rose - this is the concrete - and these are
my damaged petals. 

Don't ask me why, thank God, ask me how!


And if ya don't know, now ya know!