Malik shares a poem he wrote shortly after ending his 9-day hunger strike.
[Poetic transcription:]
Think tactfully, impactfully, only one path I see
It’s bittering, though, ‘cause I hate to show any signs I slow,
Or relent, repent or give in, ‘cause I do not quit, I can’t ever not resist
I stand ‘til the last man falls, risk it all or nothing
What’s the point in givin’ if you ain’t givin’ your all?
Thinking of quitting now? I’m appalled!
My struggle, my strength, resolve – where was it all, so easy to fall?
But “defeat is a mindset”, to admit that is, in fact, not true
Staying true to you doesn’t come on others’ work terms, doesn’t hang on others’ words
You’re not losing strength, resolve
Rest assured: resolve still in your mind, body and will.
I propose a metaphor at best: life is a game of chess
Don’t back your king in a corner as a threat
Be tactful, and sometimes be crow
Let ‘em take a rook or two knights in a row
Make them grin, think they’ve won and got you on the ropes, don’t let them relent
Then surprise! Architect their demise
Like a fight, right?
You can’t always just rush your opponent – find his patterns, wait for the moment
When the timing ‘s right, slip jab hook right
Cross him out, lights out
Hope they go down and hit the ground, won’t make a sound
You stand there tall and proud, when everyone counted you out
Title bout, you take a bow, you wow the crowd, tall and proud
Resolved as ever, still how powerful you feel, your power still
They can’t take that, you’ll never lose – that’s a fact
It’s a war we wage; Rome wasn’t built in a day
Keep the pace, keep the faith
In time they’ll see how truly spectacular you can be
“I love you Malik. Stay strong, stay free, stay with me, stay here, please, for you, for me, for your son, for your family, go ahead and eat. In time, you’ll find you’ll see winning.”