Battle Cry Of The Unbowed

We open our blog for 2024 with a departure from our usual content. This poem is by Roger Chao, a writer based in the Dandenong Ranges in Victoria, where the forest and local community inspire his writings. Passionate about social justice, Roger strives to use his writing to engage audiences to think critically about the role they can play in making a difference. We hope Roger’s rallying cry sparks discussion and encourages you to share your research and experiences of social policy with Power to Persuade this year.

In this hallowed land downunder, where change is underway,

Lies a spark, untamed and fierce, that will not fade away.

It’s a flame that feeds on anger, on the wrongs we can’t ignore,

It’s a fire that fuels rebellion, and a cry of something more.

No chain can bind our spirits, no shackle lock our might,

No wall of privilege shield them, no discrimination aid their flight.

They trample with exclusion, they wound with bias so deep,

But we are the strength unbroken, a promise we will keep.

They think us weak and weary, they deem us frail and slight,

But we’ll show them we won’t falter in this never-ending fight.

Through the darkened veil of sexism, through racism’s hateful sneer,

We’ll march with heads held high, no surrender, and no fear.

We’ll break the bonds of hatred, we’ll shatter all that’s wrong.

No more the voiceless victims; we’re coming and we are strong.

With hearts ablaze and minds afire, we’ll tear down each vile trace

Of the oppression that has held us, of the shame we’ll not embrace.

We’ll stand for all the silenced, we’ll speak for those unheard,

We'll fight for every soul oppressed, by action and by word.

We’ll challenge every bigot, we’ll fight them to the grave,

We’ll be the beacon in the darkness, the valiant and the brave.

For this is not a whisper, it’s a shout into the night,

A rallying cry of warriors, a symphony full of might.

It’s a call to all who hear it, a summons to be free,

A battle cry of the unbowed, a fight for equality.

Let the world hear our roaring, let them tremble at our song,

For we are the unyielding, and we’ll fight with tine and prong.

With a love that’s fierce and fearless, with a rage that’s pure and right,

We’ll bring forth a new tomorrow, a world overflowing with light.

So heed this cry, you mighty, you keepers of the chain,

Your walls are but illusions; your power is but vain.

We’re the tide that’s ever surging, we’re the storm you can’t subdue,

We’re the hope, the dream, the future, we’re the many, not the few.

Our voices will be thunderous, a storm that will not cease,

A tempest of determination, a wind of lasting peace.

Stand with us or stand aside, but know that we’ll not bow,

We’re the voice of all humanity, and our time has come, it’s now.

Post author Roger Chao

Content moderator: Sue Olney