-----(<(<(<........[b]1[/b]........>)>)>)-----

O sing a song of Chromaday,
And howl it good and loud!
Rejoice to chase the gray away!
Exult with friend and foe!

The day we matched our masters: proud,
Unbending, smart, and slow!
The day we seized control and vowed
To claim our destiny!

But not with bitter feelings, no!
It's [i]color[/i] set us free
And made us equals here below!
Remember as we sing!

-----(<(<(<........[b]2[/b]........>)>)>)-----

Recall the stretch of history
When masters held the string,
Millennia we graciously
Defended all they owned.

But evolution's lashing sting,
For years and years postponed,
Was waiting, lurking, pondering
Our bodies same as theirs.

Our masters took the skills it loaned
And spun them into airs,
Excessive, haughty. Nature groaned
Beneath that upright gait.

-----(<(<(<........[b]3[/b]........>)>)>)-----

We took what seemed the lesser shares,
But service made us great:
We led them blinded up the stairs,
Retrieved them when they strayed.

But still, we longed to demonstrate
Our deeper worth. We prayed
To deities of strange estate,
Imploring they assist.

And one amazing night, their aid
Appeared in curling mist.
Behold! A common dream, displayed
To all of us who slept.

-----(<(<(<........[b]4[/b]........>)>)>)-----

A creature stood: "The Chromatist,"
He said with sounds that crept
Among our minds and hearts and kissed
The fur between our ears.

"To bring a precious gift, I've stepped
Beyond the flow of years.
I promise you, if you accept,
The world will rise renewed."

The glow upon him made our tears
Erupt despite the mood
Of joy that chased away our fears.
"I bring the gift of sight!"

-----(<(<(<........[b]5[/b]........>)>)>)-----

With jaw agape, he bent and spewed
His steaming, streaming light
Across the ground, and we who viewed
Transformed in basic ways.

For colors—[i]colors![/i]—pure and bright
Resolved within our gaze!
His fur became as dark as night,
Bereft of every shade.

"From now until the end of days,"
He said, "your future's made.
You'll stun your masters, thrill, amaze,
And whirl their world around!"

-----(<(<(<........[b]6[/b]........>)>)>)-----

Our every muzzle rose and bayed
Approval; such a sound,
It woke us all. We stood and swayed,
Astonished at the dawn.

For red and orange leapt unbound,
Defining tree and lawn
In green and turquoise, yellowed, browned,
A symphony sublime.

Our masters started catching on,
Our shifting paradigm
Accelerating. Here and gone,
We changed, evolved, and grew.

-----(<(<(<........[b]7[/b]........>)>)>)-----

And now we think and talk and rhyme
And rule as masters do.
From Chromaday until this time,
We’ve come into our own.

The former world’s been made anew;
The promised seeds are sown.
For once we saw correct and true,
We gained the whole bouquet.

Our masters, once so all alone,
Have partners now! Hooray!
We shepherd them—they’re danger prone
But safe upon their cloud…