The Tin Man

They said he had no heart at all They said he felt no pain The stone-faced man just gave the facts No feelings would he feign He talked of floods and accidents He spoke of deadly quakes There were reports of surgeries He spoke of bites from snakes But then one day a war broke out It was one of the worst The man who was most seasoned He would report it first Day and night, the two sides fought The massacre was brutal Leaders said they saw no hope They said the talks were futile One night the man reported late The sun was going down The light was still enough to see The story done in town The bullets came from everywhere Small fires raged around The camera man had focused in It seemed there was no sound The little girl had stumbled out She could have been his own Her face had blood, her skin was torn The building had been blown The girl appeared as in a daze But still their eyes did meet Amidst the terror all around She walked across the street She seemed just like an angel Her dress was burnt and torn She held her hands out to the man Her little face forlorn Not more than thirty feet away His eyes fixed on the girl’s A bullet flew and she went down The blood had drenched her curls The man just stood in silence Like time had stopped in space The tin man’s heart had melted And tears streamed down his face They said he never was the same the killing took a toll They said that you could almost see where bullets pierced his soul