Envy from Diacritical by Diacritical

"Envy" is a visceral exploration of identity, racial perception, and the oppressive weight of societal judgment. Through dense metaphor and biting wordplay, the speaker reflects on how envy and racial dynamics distort both self-image and external perception.

The poem opens with envy as a corrupting force “bends me like I’m malleable” suggesting how external pressures reshape the speaker’s sense of self. The phrase “shallow shades of… Beige!” mockingly underscores the dull homogeneity of societal norms, possibly pointing to whiteness as a default or flattening force.

The line “I wear you like a jacket / You’re my epidermal shackle” flips the idea of skin as identity into one of confinement, implying that the speaker's appearance both masks and imprisons them. There’s a yearning to be free of the visual assumptions that come with skin color “If my exterior was invisible it would answer all my prayers.”

The second half of the piece sharply critiques how race and perception function in society. Even if the world were colorblind, it would still operate in binaries “they’d still see black and white” wordplay about a black and white television, and even without sight, people would still “fight over the light.” This speaks to the deep-rooted nature of division and bias, extending beyond the literal to the symbolic.

The closing line “to see past superficial would be too much for eyes to bare” drives the point home: we are conditioned to stay on the surface, and to truly see beyond it would require a painful, radical shift.

In short, "Envy" is about the desire to escape reductive identity frameworks imposed by race, and the emotional toll of being seen but not truly known.

Diacritical (2004–2007) fused punk, raga, and noise into a raw, anarcho‑Sufi protest sound. Formed by Omar Pitras Waqar with Dan Rosenthal and Jason Bomani, the D.C.-based trio tackled war, racism, and identity through distorted guitars, sitar loops, and DIY ethics. Born on pheer.com, raised in resistance.