"Hidden Identity"

by Valierose Bulosan

I am from the East and now I'm at the West

Searching for the best, not wanting to be like the rest

It is like a test that pierces through the chest

Thought it was a jest but really it was just a test.

All the sorrow and distress; all the lies I must confess

Words were uttered nothing was expressed nonetheless

It was the time in between; by then I was only thirteen

Mighty woman holding the torch with equity

It is such a mystery but here goes your history

Mind was empty yet they still inquired my dignity

Submit to the authority surely they'll give you an identity

Chimera of imagination lingers behind my vision

There is a limitation if you'll just have to pay attention

Didn't receive adequate education for there is a scarcity of possession

To carry this ambition? It's all just an illusion.