In history we learned that wars consist
Of battles one after the other
A trail of bloodshed in one line
Leading to someone’s victory

But the war for a soul
A person’s or an entire nation’s
Is a series of battles not successive
But simultaneous

Every voice tells their own tale
And pulls the soul toward it
A mighty tug-of-war
In a thousand directions

But what if we could recognize
That not every voice apart from ours
Is an enemy–instead an ally
Merely fighting a different battle for the same side?

And only by that recognition
Can we pull all our ropes tight in one direction
Coordinate our battles into one strategy
And win.