I surrender.

With the white flag that signifies
the presence of all colors
and the promise of all possibilities,
I surrender.

Because surrender is the province of the brave,
and not the refuge of the cowardly,
I surrender.

As one year surrenders to the next,
as winter surrenders
to spring and spring to summer,
so I surrender my blindered notions of the past
to the dreamcatcher of the future.

In surrender, I surface
from a sea of doubt.
In surrender, I surmount
the odds and even the playing field,
so that no one be left behind.

In surrender, I surprise
myself with new resolve.
I surround myself with family,
and friends, new and old,
where I might have tried to go it alone.

I give up on the race.

I give up on a world of competition,
where getting ahead tramples on
All kindness,
All humanity,
And all beauty.

I surrender at last
to humankind,
so that I may be human
in the deepest sense,
so that I may be kind
without reservation.

I surrender this morning,
and in surrender,
I survive.