The Pacific Passage

i was made in america

land of the free, home of the brave

but my skin ain’t america

yellow and brown, the invisible slaves

my history is gone

the ocean conceals it

the ships are forgotten

america, explain this

lost in the ocean of confusion

the pacific passage, forgotten at sea

we don’t talk about the yellow, the brown

covered by america’s supremacy

you promised us, america

a promise of a new life

you lied to us, america

uncle sam turned up with a knife

‘yellow peril’ became my name

‘docile women’ now my identity

forever silenced by my sex

my skin is my invisibility

america, i’m still waiting

not black, not white

i’m stuck in the middle

fighting the air for a right to life

but i'm rooted here america

assimilation is my curse

erasing my differences

american-izing my hearse