Shifted paradigm in a new world
Misunderstood and labeled
No talking back to elders or higher ups
Arranged marriage
Total segregation of the opposite sex
No looking into another’s eyes
Halfway across the world
Females must go to work

     You have low self-esteem
       You worship rats and cows;
         Have lady friends; then you are a lesbian
           You bend your head to avoid eye contact.
             You are not trustworthy

     Lunch smells like dog shit
       Go back to your country
         We don’t like your kind
           Only heathens pray to cobras

Oppression and unkind world
All life is divine
The mouse is the companion to
Lord Ganesha, the remover of obstacles.

Oppression and unkind world
The cows give milk to orphaned children
Nagin the Cobra, the protector of the fields,
Lord Krishna’s companion
Quiet and only deadly when agitated

Change! Shed the wounded skin
And raise your head with an opened hood