Plastic Toy Soldiers
Photo from ebay.com
linoleum playground
where plastic wars
waged for strategic
indelible squares
allies knocking the
axis back onto its
arrogance planting
the flag upon kitchen
chair heights vinyl
victory claimed before
mama would shoo
all the soldiers away
from her busy feet
to and fro over the
weekly waxed battlefields
working her armistice
mission to cook for
the pudgy faced general
still on his after-school
knees putting back all
his armies in coffee cans
safely stored under
the sink never knowing
perhaps never needing
to know of the brutal
realities flesh and blood
soldiers so recently had
to endure at the hands
of some megalomaniac
men holding violent hate
in their hard plastic hearts
Poesy plus Polemics 
We still have a bag George played with in the attic – shows how long they’ve been around as he is only 21 presently. Great poem.
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they appeared I think quite soon after the war
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Love this. May I share??
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I’d be pleased if you did
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Reblogged this on OUR POETRY CORNER.
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thank you for sharing my poem with your readers
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Well done. I remember those soldiers–my brothers had a ton, and I got in trouble for sweeping them all into the garbage when I had to clean the basement.
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mine had a similar fate – left them near the curb one day and they got picked up by the garbage man
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Uh oh. Deployed to fight elsewhere I guess.
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Nice work. Love the alliteration (hard plastic hearts) and the juxtaposition of real life soldiers with make-believe at the end. My brother had army men and so did my son. The allies and the axis fight on!
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much appreciated
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Brings out childish but fond and cherished memories – I was a big fan of the little plastic battalions, hiding small response units between the mountains (cushions) … then Action Man entered my life… sigh!
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the joys of youth
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Were those Nintendo, Xbox, or Playstation? Three innocuous seeming toys that killed imagination.
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don’t get me started
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indoctrination
through
play
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perhaps
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Many hours of fun spent playing with those little guys. Nice job!
Gordon
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so glad you enjoyed it, Gordon
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Pingback: Warplay c. 1950 | Alphabet Soup Minuscule
Reblogged this on Poesy plus Polemics.
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My childhood (replace he with she), morphed into my adult life – but knowing.
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much appreciated
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So great a way to describe the realities of war!!
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I appreciate that, Carol
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Having played many hours of army as a kid, I found this accurate and amusing.
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glad that it worked for you
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It suddenly occurs to me that these green soldiers (and army uniforms) match the color of all the money behind war….
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a true cynic
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I know! Sometimes I’m just Kiki all over!
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Reblogged this on GPWilliamson and commented:
Reminded me of a time with an art therapist many moons ago who used army men in his work to help people beat anger related issues, bereavement, guilt and self confidance issues. A good man and great therapist. I summer him up more than once in a couple of my poems however this gent captures the moment in totality.
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thank you for sharing my poem with your readers
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Thanks for input Paul. Reblogged!
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