War
and Peace
As
a child, a friend of mine had an army of lead
soldiers.
When he was tired of the same battles
over
and over, he would melt them down and start
all
over again. This was child’s play, and I believed
it
would be cool if all wars could be fought this way.
More
troops, he would say. Winning wars is pretty
much
a numbers game.
Days
after Christmas, after all the gifts had been
given,
after the festive family gathering, when the
tree
had been stripped of its lights and ornaments,
and
set on the curbside to be hauled away, my friend
would
remove all the tinsel, which back then was
made
from lead.
Each
new year for him began with legions of freshly
moulded
soldiers made ready for battle from lead icicles
which
had just a few days before hung sparkling from
fragrant
spruce branches over a serene nativity scene.
And
at the center of it all, a plaster baby Jesus with
welcoming
arms outstretched to the world as a sign of
joy
and peace.
Tinsel
in this day and age is made from synthetic
material.
War, however, real or imagined, remains
pretty
much the same—Melt ‘em down, remould,
over
and over again. A passive plaster Baby Jesus at
Christmastime is a nice touch should you happen to
be
a person of faith.
Chris
Hanch 9-7-17
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