John Mason, tinker of watches, Became a soldier one day, And carried his instruments with him, As he sturdily marched away. "For surely," he chuckled in secret, "My tools will be useful still, And bring me in many a shilling, When the army discovers my skill." It happened the way he expected, And soon he had all he could do Repairing the renegade watches Of privates and officers too. He forgot that he was a soldier, And when ordered against the foe, He said, "I've a dozen watches To mend, sir, and how can I go?" Ah, thus we also are busy With tasks that we greedily take, And not for the good of the army, And not for the Kingdom's sake. And then when the foe is attacking, And our Captain seeks soldiers to send We answer: "It's out of the question! I've a dozen watches to mend!" | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...CAMPUS SONNET: TALK by STEPHEN VINCENT BENET CONTRA MORTEM: THE WHEEL OF BEING II by HAYDEN CARRUTH FRAGMENTS WRITTEN WHILE TRAVELING...A MIDWESTERN HEAT WAVE by JAMES GALVIN BUT NOW by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON CHAMBER MUSIC: 8 by JAMES JOYCE |