Shrapnel

“High velocity shards of red hot alloy
Delivered by various weapons of war
Designed to blindly maim and destroy
Leaving a legacy of blood and gore”

Fodder

“Needed to help the cannon ball
Made of expendable stuff
The most common material available
Rags and cotton fluff”

I knew a man once
You won’t believe his name
His name was Johnny Shrapnel
Fighting was his game

Johnny was a soldier
He was known across the land
He was seen on recruiting posters
Grenade and rifle in hand

Trained in the ways of combat
He could parachute from planes
He could handle any weapon
He had fought in six campaigns

Six times he was called to duty
Six timed he performed the same
Six times he wreaked pure havoc
Johnny Shrapnel earned his fame

A member of a famous unit
They wore that special beret
Young men from all across the land
Dreamed of joining that unit one day

That…… is exactly what they wanted
To stir up young men’s souls
Striking the need to show their bravery
And serve their evil goals

You see this man Johnny was a creation
Of men in high command
A tool that served a purpose
To gather fodder on demand

Johnny Shrapnel is a tool of death
He wears a cunning disguise
He speaks to young of glory
He sprinkles visions in their eyes

Young men keep your eyes wide open
Keep an open and critical mind
Don’t allow yourselves to be misused
By Johnny Shrapnel’s kind

DB Marsh