You have cracked the glacial coma
of this great nation
You have touched the forlorn and frightened
craving of our hearts
You have spoken the catchwords
which will engage our dreams
You have awakened us —
a people new to defeat —
to our hurt pride.
Beware of us —
we are the people!
We are hot and heady
and hell-bent on adventure!
Call on us if you dare:
we are ready
to seize again fiercely
the bright talismans of freedom
wickedly wrested from us.
Summon those talismans if you dare:
they are bigger than the people
They are the conscience
and the hope
of civilization
Sound the call of history if you dare:
the grand sweep of its tide
leaves no continent unshaken.
Call on us if you dare
we are the people —
now subdued —
but with hearts trembling like racehorses
We are the people
wild with raw energy
slipping the leash
shouting for action!
Once we have risen
we shall move
and cannot be put down!
Robin T. Cravey
January 1977