A strong foundation
To all appearances:
Any fissures or flaws
Well-hidden behind concrete
Reinforced by steel.

Until the hammers.

From the largest sledges
To the little ball peens
To the smallest colossus
That fires the shot.

Blow after blow
In unending succession.
Most too small,
Too weak to damage
In a single strike,
Yet flaw-enhancing,
Fissure-widening
When applied in barrage.

And scattered throughout,
With no warning or reason,
The bone-shattering.
The world-shaking.
The mortar fire that
Slices through
And carves out
The inner steel
In erratic paths.

Leaving fragments