To hell with the fervent prayers spat from weary lips
to hell with wasted youth hoping for brighter times
My ancestors deserve no explanation
when I'm haunted by visions of a distant nation
when my identity is the shadow of my destination.
Sowed in this dark soil my dreams bear a fairer complexion.
I fight for the chance to be the next slave
as the former is casually tossed in his grave
Understand I do so not willfully
but because my aspirations are fed with willed folly
I believe in the land of bright lights
though all that glitters is not gold.
I believe in the land of free expression
though empty barrels make the most noise
Do not question my borrowed perception
for you seek a fruitless inquisition
Who are you to doubt this,my beloved inception
I find peace in this nation of lust and envy
and proudly pledge allegiance to a land I've never seen
I gladly accept I'm a spawn of misfortune
concocted in a continent of despair
waiting to be cleansed by the ignoramus I follow
waiting to be cleansed by the ignoramus I think superior
I seek the fruit promised me
the joy, wealth and eventual death
Ready to trade my skin for one new,
to make the ultimate sacrifice.
From an African prince, to an American pauper.
----Swelly
