Shiny Soldiers

Ever since he could remember
He wanted shiny soldiers
playgrounds became battlefields
on long hot summer days
As Little generals fought
for sliding boards and swings
he just turned and walked away
he passed his time in other ways
so he would not get dirty
As soon as he was able to
he bought some shiny soldiers
He did not listen when they told him
soldiers weren’t enough
An army’s more than shiny soldiers
They cannot stand-alone
A Closed mind is a lethal force
Stubbornness is its only friend
To fight a war the right way
he needed supplies and armor
He didn’t listen, didn’t care
What the others said
he went to war anyway
just him and those shiny soldiers
It was not long at all
before the soldiers lost their shine
Scraped and twisted
Dull and dirty
He put them in a box
tossed it in a corner
Abandon and forgotten
Missing arms missing legs
Missing hearts and minds
Tired and worn out, feeling low
No one seemed to care
Feeling all alone
feeling quite forgotten

What will happen to them now?
Does anybody wonder?
Sometimes very late at night
When everyone is sleeping
Safely hidden from prying eyes
Sure no one will see
The boy takes out the soldiers
and tries to fix them up
Arms and legs
Hearts and souls
lay scattered all around
He takes them to a secret place
Where doctors try to fix them
Sometimes they are broke so bad
They go with the angels
Other times they may look fixed
but inside they are still broken
No matter where they are
Or what they look like in and out
They are heroes
One and all
And must never be forgotten
Always think before you leap
Don’t try to fight alone
Keep those soldiers shiny
Hurry up and bring them home.