The Air Warriors
I hear you’re running from the man
just as fast as you can
who goes by the name of the Sandman.
I hear he flies through the sky
like an eagle in the eye
of a hurricane that’s abandoned.
These were words once sung and told
from the days of battles old.
When men flew planes like acrobats.
Dog fights then were quite an act.
The more planes you could shoot down
the greater your reputation on the ground.
The Red Barron and Snoopy were such.
Fiction for comics without a stretch.
Based on an actual German pilot.
His 23 kills almost started a riot.
Like “Sink the Bismarck” was to the Navy
during WWII driving them crazy.
The Red Baron was to the Air Force
during WWI a must to hit with a gun.
War heroes come from going through crap.
Like Audi Murphy, who went to hell & back.
But, the air pilots are a breed of their own.
They are top guns whose numbers have grown.
The planes are faster, the weapons better.
Yet, they carry on. Right to the letter.
If someone in your family has earned his wings,
they can teach you a few things.
Like tip your hat when a lady walks by.
Yet, kick some ass when you take to the air.
————————————————-R. W. Johnson—–(2013)