And what is thy requirement?
What definition doest thou place,
Upon perceived humanity; what
Certainty dost thou find, in honesty
In the outlandish lineaments of
My face, that I am less than human?
For I have a heart within my breast
That beats as strongly as thine own,
That beats as strongly as thine own
And love and hate I feel in measure
Equal to that of any man or woman
That thou might hold up in comparison.
My face is not like to your face,
That is true but it is in the nature
Of faces to differ one from the other.
I have two eyes, a mouth, a nose
Aligned in natural symmetry, and
The whole lies soft across my
skull's bones, in the manner of any face.
If there be any doubt of my humanity
Then, of the truth of heart and
Mind and soul, then look toward
My word and deed for confirmation,
And I shall rise or fall at thy decree.
But judge me not, nor cast suspicion,
Upon my face.