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I Want To Be A Pilot
by Diego Quemada-Diez
I want to be a pilot
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My name is Omondi
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It means that when I was born
I woke up my mother
early in the morning
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I am twelve years old
I live in Kibera
the biggest slum in East Africa
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My last meal
was on Sunday
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today is Wednesday
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I want to be a pilot
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to fly very high, far away from the ghetto
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to a place
where kids have parents
that do not die of HIV
everyday
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to a place far away
where guardians of orphan kids
cannot abuse us
everyday
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to a place far away
where I am treated
as well as white people are
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I want to be a pilot
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to wear a uniformand fly very high
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to a place far away
where I don’t need
charity from distant lands
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to a place far away
where white men
cannot test medicines on us
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to a place far away
where the leaders we elected
stop filling their pockets
and start caring for us
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to a place far away
where there are school books
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so one day
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I can fly
far away
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I want to be a pilot
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It must feel so good
to go places
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where I can walk barefoot
on the green grass
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where water is clean
with rivers and springs
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where I can feel the sun
shining on me
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I want to be a pilot
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so I can fly veryvery high
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to take off
and land
where my dreams are
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to a place far away
where God just loves me
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and churches are just
the mountains
the trees
the rivers
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Yes
My dream is to fly far away
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to a place
where my suffering can end
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I want to be a pilot
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to wear a uniform
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to go places
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where others are not afraid
to play with me
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because I am HIV positive
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where I can lead a simple life
where there is a future
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I want to be a pilot
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so I can fly
to a place far away
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where my mum and dad are
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so they can hug me
so they can kiss me
so they can love me
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so I can hug them
so I can kiss them
so I can love them
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Thank you
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