Pariah

Pariah they named me,
The same as them and yet they blamed me.
Stripped me of humanity
Tore away my shreds of dignity.
When I pass they pull their skirts aside
Spit on me and then deride
My lack of worth and poverty
My heart dies a little every time

Hopeless I cannot flee,
Defined, confined, they have shackled me.
The dregs of humanity,
Seeking one dead scrap of dignity.
Buffered away from the pure Brahmin
So they can't touch me and sin.
Scrabbling in a land of plenty,
Even my dirty blood isn't mine.