Little Boy Blue

by Eugene Field

The little toy dog is covered with dust,
      But sturdy and stanch he stands;
And the little toy soldier is red with rust,
      And his musket moulds in his hands.
Time was when the little toy dog was new,
      And the soldier was passing fair;
And that was the time when our Little Boy Blue
      Kissed them and put them there.

"Now, don't you go till I come," he said,
      "And don't you make any noise!"
So, toddling off to his trundle-bed,
      He dreamt of the pretty toys;
And, as he was dreaming, an angel song
      Awakened our Little Boy Blue---
Oh! the years are many, the years are long,
      But the little toy friends are true!

Ay, faithful to Little Boy Blue they stand,
      Each in the same old place---
Awaiting the touch of a little hand,
      The smile of a little face;
And they wonder, as waiting the long years through
      In the dust of that little chair,
What has become of our Little Boy Blue,
      Since he kissed them and put them there.

* * *

This is the first poem I ever learned by heart, at four years old. I still have a tape of me reciting it in a little lisping voice.

But the reason I post it today is in honor of Joshua, the 4-year-old son of a family I know. He died recently in a car accident. Please pray for his family.