Hands Off
Poetry break.
HANDS OFF
(What was never yours):
Hands off teachers who pay from their own pockets
to fill classrooms with dignity you can't budget.
Hands off immigrants you call criminal
but whose fingerprints line every street you walk.
Hands off veterans who returned home
only to find another battle
Hands off the child who dreams in languages
you long to silence.
Hands off moms making wonder from nothing,
lifting up planets you can't imagine.
Hands off healthcare locked behind your paywalls,
life shouldn't carry interest.
Hands off the scientists who've charted the end of the world,
watching you sell tickets to the show.
Hands off the climate you’ve left smoldering,
waiting for profit to decide what's worth saving.
Hands off justice that was already blind…
long before you tipped the scales.
Hands off truth, it isn't yours to rewrite
and memory isn’t for sale.
—
HANDS OFF
(What we will never surrender):
Hands off our anger—
it's earned, honest, necessary,
but not our only weapon.
Hands off our solidarity—
we can’t go alone,
we have to get there together.
Hands off our dreams—
they are blueprints to miracles yet unseen.
Hands off our voice—
even shaking, it moves.
Hands off our fear—
it was planted to hold us back, not rescue us.
Hands off our doubt—
we’ve come further than it allows us to believe.
Hands off our grief—
let it sharpen, never silence.
Hands off our joy—
its soft strength is the greatest revolt.
Because real power doesn't take.
It gives.
Real strength doesn't shout,
It stands.
And when their hands finally tire
ours will still be working. Quietly—
fighting for the future we will never stop believing in.
For those who don't know us yet, 50501 is a decentralized, national group of workers, veterans, students and immigrants and community members united against political repression and dedicated to peaceful resistance.
50501 stands for: 50 states, 50 protests, 1 movement.
We organize across America to peacefully protest against executive overreach, the unconstitutional actions of the current administration and project 2025.
Join us and get loud.
50501 Chicago Chapter Socials:
Bluesky
TikTok
Mastodon
Pixelfed
National 50501 Movement:
Official Website: https://www.fiftyfifty.one
Reddit Community: r/50501
Who wrote this beautiful, eloquent poem? It speaks to my heart. Thank you.