The Poet’s Haka



The Poet's Haka

You can oppose or oppress me with fists or guns
But you can never silence my words or pen
You can attack me all day 'til I bleed awhile
And me and my verse will rise again.

You can use money and riches beyond measure
And control things by how much you outspend
You can manipulate with increased treasure
But me and my verse will rise again.

You can broadcast lies as if they were truth
And I will fact check every one times ten
No matter how much you cover things up
Me and my verse will rise again

You can marginalize me 'til I'm invisible
Enslave me in poverty and chains
No power on Earth can keep me down long
Cause me and my verse will rise again

You can conceal your secrets and indiscretions
You corruption, addictions and pain
You can try to refuse the truth you won't swallow
But me and my verse will rise again

You can break the back of my people
Trample our hearts with all you offend
But the more you deride, we will fight to reveal
And me and my verse will rise again

You can strike me with everything you got
And claim the sword mightier than the pen
Know what's written is always remembered
And me and my verse will rise again!

Copyright © 2015 Charles Edward York
No part of this poem may be used or reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any way or form or by any means electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise without the written permission of the author.*

About this poem

If a poet wrote a haka to his adversaries

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Written on October 30, 2015

Submitted by charlesedwardyork on October 30, 2024

1:25 min read
2

Quick analysis:

Scheme a bcxC dedC xcxc fxac bxxC fexC xcxC ad
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 1,427
Words 282
Stanzas 9
Stanza Lengths 1, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 2

Charles Edward York

Charles Edward York is an author and poet activist living in Plano, Texas. He’s written over 1400 poems and published 17 books of poetry. Born in Vietnam and raised a citizen in Dallas, Texas, he writes poems that include the subjects of love and relationships, nature, social justice, including police violence against African-Americans and minorities, astronomy and others. more…

All Charles Edward York poems | Charles Edward York Books

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1 Comment
  • philmaund
    Ahhhh! The indomitable spirit of the poet, so vividly and powerfully expressed. And yet, it is still, somehow unexplainable and inexpressible. Loved this, it really got me thinking!
    LikeReply10 days ago

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"The Poet’s Haka" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 10 Nov. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/202713/the-poet’s-haka>.

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