The Forgotten People

Be it known to you that the lily of the field has been outlawed under section 44, and candle light is punishable by death. A careful sweep of all sanctuaries will be conducted with no special consideration for holy things. Hide them. If caught, do not give up your blood relatives. Mind your associations and time your spiritual songs. It is better if you hum them softly outside the earshot of uniformed marauders. Trust me when I tell you they can read lips. The council is moving quickly to strike down a third of your hymnal. Create four spaces in between lettering when transcribing revolutionary language. Love, grace, justice, and mercy should not appear to be intentional notation. This is adequate for mindless software. However, if you suspect espionage with a heart beat, scramble the sequence into a string of nonsense. The little ones must be taught not to smile. If not instructed otherwise, they will make games of their oppression. Amusement and insolence stand too close together. Ever since you learned to speak, you wanted a party. Yet the raw material for celebration belong to the rulers. Our overseers abound with cinnamon powder, sugar cane, vanilla extract, and ginger root. We were born to lick salt and to lift the heavy load. Do not ask why that is our portion. It was decided long ago in a war that your grandmother warns us to remember. Our traditional colors have been striped from libraries lest they incite the educated class. Your birthday will not go unrecognized. I have purchased a grave plot for you and your sister. This we are permitted to own. In life we are the accused, and in death, we shall be found guiltless. When the shower of bullets wash us clean, our evlo shall remain.