Little Red Wagon bought for my brother,
Dad would pull him through fields of clover

My kid brothers would have such a thrill
coasting fast down the eastside hill

And that wagon really helped out
when my brother got a newspaper route

It was left in the garage to gather dust,
then it was left outside to gather rust

Red colour was fading, growing faint,
so Dad applied a new coat of paint

Brushed over the words, “Radio Flyer”,
scraped off the rust and replaced the tyre

The restoration gave our mother smiles;
it was good to go for many more miles

My brothers grew and left the nest,
the wagon in the backyard would rest

holding flower pots and garden gear,
and other stuff you’d want to keep near

After Dad died, the wagon was neglected –
but grandkids caused it to be resurrected

I’d give my nieces and nephew a ride,
they travelled the universe sitting inside

And I don’t know who had the most fun
when I got the chance to pull my own son

But even those kids grew and lost interest,
poor little wagon sat alone at rest

Mom asked if I had a use for this heirloom,
I could have it if I had enough room

So the little red wagon came to my place,
I had in mind by the storage shed a space

When I wanted to make a flagstone track,
the wagon saved me from an aching back

It was the perfect place to place my socket
or screwdriver or wrench before I’d use it

For a while, it held a huge cactus pot,
I’d use it to hold anything and what-not

Wheels got all wobbly and the bed was rusty,
but it was always there, ready and trusty

I parked it by the fence under the tree one day,
when I got home, my neighbour called to say

he heard a banging like metal in my yard,
he apologised for not being on guard

But he saw someone drive up in a van
and take something red from my land

It was my old red wagon, I’m sorry to state;
its loss left me feeling sad and irate<

I wonder if they stole it for the metallic worth
or would it ever see a little kid’s mirth

I kind of hope they scraped off the mud,
repainted it, showed it some love

And renewed its life for a new generation
rather than melting it down for refabrication.
___

Image courtesy of Adobe.