Look at us downtrodden people, 

black, brown, tan—sepia drenched,

as if clothed by the inescapable skin of seals.

We are not the children of Israel.

Do not be fooled by our devotion, do not be fooled

by our history of searing bondage. Our Western

brand of slavery

was seen by God as we prayed

for freedom, but only convenience

left our physical chains to history

while those that possess our collective

intellect and soul

are shadowed by defeatist traditions

that leave us wandering through

the house of illusion.