like toy soldiers

"step by step
heart to heart
left right left
we all fall down
like toy soldiers"

a toy soldier, always standin tall, standin straight..
always smiling...
a wooden smile

the first kid buys him off the shelf,
treasures him like a mum treasures her baby more than herself.
over time, the kid grows,
grows weary, grows bored...
and soon the soldier gets passed on,
hand me downs..

the soldier smiles,
a wooden smile,
to every kid that picks him up
and later throws him to the ground..

the bright red paint fades,
the black hat chips,
but somehow as vintage as the soldier gets
people still pick it up,
pat its head
and smile

over the months
over the years

a wooden smile...