surrender under protest

from the comfort zone of history

on the lips of trusted loved ones

to the lonely

fragile minds of angry youth

no sooner was it over

than the memory made it nobler

the selective means by which to point the view

compelled

but not defeated

surrender under protest if you must

compelled

but not defeated

if it's all you can remember

then it's been that way forever

and for six long generations it's been told

that among the fallen was tradition

that tradition was the mission

and that the wrongness of the sin was not the goal

compelled

but not defeated

surrender under protest if you must

compelled

but not defeated

does the color really matter

on the face you blame for failure

all the shaming for a battles losing cause

if the victims and aggressors

just remain each others' others

and the instigators never fight their own

compelled

but not defeated

surrender under protest if you must

compelled

but not defeated

surrender under protest if you must

surrender under protest if you must