Not our daughters and sisters and mothers, you say,
No woman should be forced to fight
How I agree, no woman should
Oh, but the war has come

The war has come when shepherds lust upon sheep
And seek the choicest to devour
And cry victim when she pleads for help
An immoral relationship, you say
Mere human weakness
Where is your “not our daughters and sisters and mothers?”
Oh, but the war has come

Not all soldiers wear camo
Some wear dresses
And you judge even those

The war has come when men prey upon children
And it’s the men to whom you render aid
To the men, you give platform
The men, you restore
Ah, grace!
Who restores your daughters and sisters and mothers?
Oh, but the war has come

Not all soldiers wear camo
Some wear pink pajamas
And you ask, “Why speak now?”

The war has come when fathers rape daughters
And not one who learns of it gives aid
Alone, the daughters rise to seek justice
Your daughters and sisters and mothers
From nowhere, you swoop in to defeat them
“The law!” you exclaim,
As though its very mission is not justice for the innocent
Oh, but the war has come

Not all enemies use guns
Some use only silencers
You, too, remain silent

The war has come when a woman rises to learn
Or, worse, rises to teach in your schools
And men assault her, that invader of their space,
Gotta break her down
Your daughters and sisters and mothers
Made, it would seem, in some image other than God’s
Liberal and unholy, by her mere existence in any space other than home
Oh, but the war has come

Not all blood is shed on fields
Some falls at school
Still more at church

Not our daughters and sisters and mothers, you say,
No woman should be forced to fight
How I agree, no woman should
But you drafted her long ago
Oh, but, the war has come