The Unbowed Oak

Not in the muscle, rigid, stark and pale,
But in the oak that bends within the gale,
And finds, though winds may tear and branches fail,
A deeper root to hold, a stronger tale.

2. It's in the quiet voice that will not break,
The steady hand, the choice that risks the ache,
The inner fire no circumstance can take,
The spirit's core that doubts cannot shake.

3. The strength that faces shadows, stands its ground,
When lesser wills are scattered all around,
That speaks its truth without a single sound,
And in the fiercest foe is always found.

4. It's rising once again on wounded feet,
When bitter loss or harsh defeat seems sweet,
Refusing bitter judgment or deceit,
Making the hard road somehow less complete.

5. So strength endures, a never-dying light,
Forged in the struggles of the darkest night,
Not merely force, but everlasting might,
The quiet courage making wrong things right.