Toy Soldiers

My father made them when he was a boy. 

Made them from liquid lead poured into molds. 

My brother and I played with them frequently 

for years as we planned our war strategies and our futures. 

They were as much a part of our childhood 

as any other toys we had. 

How brave they were! 

We used to imagine the lives that they led, 

their names, where they had come from. 

We gave them personalities 

based on the people we'd met or observed. 

So much that we knew about life 

was assigned to those toy soldiers.

Like all good soldiers, 

they sacrificed themselves for our sake, 

as they melted in the house fire of 1979. 

They took our place 

to burn while the rest of us were away. 

I'm glad we saluted them, 

and thanked them for their service 

while we had the chance.