Captain America’s shield

Lyrics

I weigh exactly twelve pounds. I do not ring.
You can strike me with a shell and I swallow the shock.
I was painted like a bullseye, a primary-colored thing,
Built to keep a golden boy standing on the block.
I know I am a fable, poured in a circular mold,
A piece of modern folklore that is terrifying to hold.

Because I only obey the geometry of the throw.
The angle of incidence, the friction of the air.
I bounce off the marble, I lay the rifle low,
And I return to the glove, no matter who is there.
I am a mirror that catches the violence and bends,
Terrified of the hand where the trajectory ends.

The leather strap slides up against your elbow,
And the motor cortex instantly redraws its edge.
We calculated ricochets in the tactical glow,
I was the heavy halo on a crumbling ledge.
But I ate the kinetic impact, every single trace,
Leaving you to memorize the ruin on their face.

Now there is a new pulse beating at the strap.
The paint is scratching down to the alloy underneath.
I am a simple mechanism, caught inside the gap,
A perfect circle heavy as a grief.
If you throw me in anger, if you throw me blind...
I do not have a conscience to leave the strike behind.

I will still obey the geometry of the throw.
The angle of incidence, the friction of the air.
I bounce off the marble, I lay the rifle low,
And I return to the glove, no matter who is there.
I am a mirror that catches the violence and bends,
Terrified of the hand where the trajectory ends.

Catch me.
I fit so perfectly.
I don't know how to yield,
Even when I should.
Even when I shouldn't come back to you at all.