Who wrote the poem if we were and bald short of breath?

The poem you're referring to is "If We Must Die" by Claude McKay.

The title is sometimes written as "If We Must Die," but it's also sometimes presented as "If We Were" due to the first line of the poem.

Here are the first few lines:

> "If we must die, let it not be like hogs

> Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot,

> While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs,

> Making their mock at our accursed lot."

The poem speaks about fighting bravely in the face of oppression, rather than submitting to it, and is known for its powerful imagery and call to action.