We are stopped for special checks At TSA and immigration
We are murdered In our house of worship Six innocent lives lost Oak Creek Gurdwara, 2012
Racial slurs hit our hearts: ******* ISIS Towel head
Out of fear We stop wearing our beautiful salwar kameezes, lenghas, saris, and kurta pajamas In colors and embroidery your clothes could only ever dream of We take off our crowns you call turbans And replace them with baseball caps
We think twice about speaking Punjabi, Our mother tongue, Around those that don't recognize it
We stop packing our grandma's handmade saag and roti To school for lunch And start eating Processed Lunchables
We separate into two people Our American selves And our Punjabi selves Almost never does anyone meet both
All because You don't know The difference Between a Sikh and a terrorist