The Island Nation

The island nation lies silent, quietly it mourns,
Formosans with bowed heads, and hearts that are torn,
They weep for the memory of those that fell,
And for those who witnessed that dreadful hell.

Though many years past, the hurt does not fade,
The bloodshed and sufferings cannot be unmade.
So many killed, so many families destroyed,
The cries of the victims, they could not avoid
The death that came to them and their friends,
From a stubborn regime that just wouldn't bend.

From the streets of Taipei, to the farms in Chia-Yi,
The gunshots rang steadily, as loud as can be.
The slaughter continued on its merciless path,
Murdering political dissidents with its angry wrath.

The death of so many will not be in vain.
Neither will be their families' anguish and pain,
We remember these victims with saddened sorrow,
But we still retain hope for a better tomorrow.

For freedom has its price, it does not come cheap,
The victims have sacrificed, they have earned their keep,
But we must go on, our mission is not done,
Until the fight for freedom has truly been won.
We will not let them down, the ghosts of the past,
Their cause of yesteryear is our greatest task,
We strive for the freedom of Formosans today,
To our compatriots, have faith, rest in peace you may.

In memory of the victims of the February 28 1947 Massacre

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