Friday, February 26, 2010

Hear my plea...

"I fight a daily battle as a child.
I don't dare dream of counting how many toys I have because I do not have any.
I don't ask for the latest fashion trends or the cartoons every child enjoys.
I don't dare dream of being comforted, consoled, and held closely.
I don't expect a good night kiss from my mother and father because they are buried six feet beneath the ground.
I don't dare dream of going to a friend's house or being dropped of at a school by a parent.
I am a parent myself now that I take care of my young siblings.
I polish shoes for the enemy that have taken the lives of my parents.
They abuse me and mistreat me but I bear with patience for the sake of my siblings survival.
I don't think about going to 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th grade.
I do not expect to live that long.
But I do dare dream of something great; that perhaps one day my plea will reach the corners of the world.
That perhaps the world may pay attention to my cries and pleas.
I do dare to dream of a better world for the generations to come.
I am not asking anyone for their sympathies, I am asking for understanding, not acceptance.
I am asking from every individual an effort for change.
A change that benefits everyone, a change that will hear and accept the pleas of children like myself.
So I ask you - do not let any child after me die of hunger and disease.
Do not let the children of my land be suspended from roofs or hanged.
Do not let the wars of this world prevail! Please, do not let anymore children be deprived of their loving parents.
I'm the plea of a child from afar. Let my dreams exceed to reality!

Nimo Abdi Warfa
copyright 2010

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