My Red Soldier

 Many a toy had I;

But it was the red that was reflected in my eye;

Uniform of grandeur;

A fine hat emblazoned with a golden fleur.

He left my small grasp, fell to the floor;

Couldn't pull his crimson hem, he passed through death's door;

My mother's lap drenched in sniffles and infantile tears;

Decade passed twice, now 'twas my bosom that throbbed with fears.

Livery of vermilion had he, floral headpiece;

Emerald rings glinting under the same dawn, I prayed for the war to cease;

On a day when the sky snarled, winds cold;

Footsteps crossed the threshold.

"In the dream," said he, "despairingly, you cried;

Crafted out of clay I was, shattered, as little hands trembled, tried."

Embracing, murmuring, "I came back in the flesh, did I not?"

 My red soldier, home after a battle well fought.