Upon the battlefield, soldiers stand face to face

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A flag sets them apart, as their body and mind all stand the same

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The same training, the same objective

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Victory for their flag

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Defeat for the other

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As long as a bullet is there to be fired, so it must be fired

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As long as there is sharpness in your blade, it must cut

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As long as that arm has a the strength to be lifted, it must punch

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As long as there is a breath to be taken, words have to be spoken

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Victory or death

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And the cards are set

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On that fateful day, all that preparation is put to use

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Uniform adjusted and tagged to the correct post, tools cleaned and set to be used, bodies strengthened to its most and minds directed towards a single goal

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One adds to the next to make a squad, squads to make a platoon, platoons to make an company

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Faces are filled with pride in their achievements to this point, being united by a common goal, and realization on the purpose set forth

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Armed with determination and weapons in their hands they march to their destiny

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Eyes and guns looking forward

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The call is made

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Charge to victory

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The earth is revolved by the movement, dust fills the air and screams fills the ears of those willing to hear them, in a seemingly never-ending wave of destruction over everything that it touches

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That wave swirls through all parts of the playing field, with each side fighting bravely for a chance to succeed

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Everything is open and the odds are balanced

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Until the weakest link breaks and everything quickly changes

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Step by step, the scene takes a change of parts

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A side forcing its path, the other trying to resist

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Heated words rumble amongst those that feel the apparent loss

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To stand as best as possible to try again tomorrow with a new set of soldiers, to retreat to a safer position or to give in and surrender

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But surrender is never an option and retreat a last resort at best

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So they decide to stand

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A foolish task to be discovered

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As what could not fight cannot stand the ripple of the waves

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Waves that engulf those what stand in its way

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Men become beast in such times

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Drenched in power, no barrier stands in their way

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And the waters shine bright red after the waves pass

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Twilight falls upon the horizon

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Peace reigns over the scene

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A shallow peace still filled with noise

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The sound of cries and tears

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Not of those that died

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But of those that await a fate worse than death

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Remembering what happened

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The falling of those close to them

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The uselessness of their part

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The foolishness of this endeavour

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Not being able to make change with their actions

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Powerlessness fills their beings, like a poison that doesn’t kill, but just maims

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A scar that will never heal

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Hidden deep within

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I roam the battlefield watching these souls

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Stepping over this blood filled earth

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Hearing them ask for release

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They look for a savior

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Or in its absence

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An executioner

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Who can take away both the guilt and the shame

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Both of those who lost

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As of those who won

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As they know that the glory attained is forever tainted in blood, never forgiven, only forgotten in the sands of time

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And for that chance to forget

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They pledge all that they have and all that they are

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But that is something I will not give

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As memories are what makes us

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And without them we are nothing

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How better it would have been

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If you had fought for me

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I would not have told you to kill

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But to fight to become better

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To train to impress me

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To appease me

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To fulfill me

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Surrendering to become strong

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Instead of stronger to make others surrender

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I wish I could have taken you before that scar was made

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Given a new direction to that fire that burned inside you

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Instead of seeing in extinguished in barren land

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All that I can offer you

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Is my memory of you so you are not forgotten

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And a message to those that are to take the same path as you did

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To choose wisely the path they will take

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Because in war there are no winners

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Only those that lose a little less