How You Gather, Resist and Create in R/Evolutionary Times,

The poetry of Resistance and Protest ,

Jul 31, 2025

Gathering to stop the Genocide in Gaza 🇵🇸 Exeter , England.

Who are you being in these times and who are you becoming ?

To see the choices you have , to make daily intentions of self care, of resistance and regeneration can be exhausting. When we are being deliberately overwhelmed and confused. The revolution that is underway can take the form of rest or cooking of gardening . Making art, making love, making friends , making music .

We Protest, Gather and Create to bring the Changes we need 💕

You may also feel moved to take to the streets to join courageous others as I did last week. I wrote about some of the benefits I found in the article at the end.

Meanwhile I found a poem in the fabulous book called “She is Fierce” about Protesting and so had to share it with you , dear community.

This poem was first publish in 1914 and Ella’a powerful words resonate loudly to these times of trouble and turmoil.

(There is a glitch on Substack, that is stopping me recording an audio version, so I am improvising. I found an extrodianary reading from Amanda Palmer as part of offerings from The Marginalian with Maria Popova . If you haven’t discovered this newsletter yet, I encourage you to go visit , it’s beautifully crafted and uplifting about art, books and life). Plus there is a tribute to David Bowie, in the same article, so I am doubling back there…Things going wrong can lead you in interesting new directions ..)

Protest

by Ella Wheeler Wilcox,

To sin by silence, when we should protest,
Makes cowards out of men. The human race
Has climbed on protest. Had no voice been raised
Against injustice, ignorance, and lust,
The inquisition yet would serve the law,
And guillotines decide our least disputes.
The few who dare, must speak and speak again
To right the wrongs of many. Speech, thank God,
No vested power in this great day and land
Can gag or throttle. Press and voice may cry
Loud disapproval of existing ills;
May criticise oppression and condemn
The lawlessness of wealth-protecting laws
That let the children and childbearers toil
To purchase ease for idle millionaires.
Therefore I do protest against the boast
Of independence in this mighty land.
Call no chain strong, which holds one rusted link.
Call no land free, that holds one fettered slave.
Until the manacled slim wrists of babes
Are loosed to toss in childish sport and glee,
Until the mother bears no burden, save
The precious one beneath her heart, until
God’s soil is rescued from the clutch of greed
And given back to labor, let no man
Call this the land of freedom.