The Red Texaco Fire Chief Truck

The Red Texaco Fire Chief Truck David J Walker I’ve seen them parked on the shelves of antique stores Too numerous to count That Red Texaco Gas tanker truck Made of pressed sheet metal Almost indestructible that, at my young age And small size I could ride all day long as if making the deliveries myself Clear in my memory The year I got it for Christmas And rode it And rode it And rode it Until it was parked in the dark of A Toybox That was repurposed from a WWII gun-box I don’t remember ever seeing it again Until my walk down memory lane Where I had to refrain From shouting out It’s Mine! Well, it was at one time Some are time-worn as if left Out in the storms of summer and winter Some have crushed cabs where the Riders once sat But some were pristine with perfect Original fresh paint kept perfectly clean In original boxes as if never Having been played with which made me sad but I was glad to see them in this Antique store museum And it makes me smile For the while I am In the store Looking for more of the Pressed metal toys of my youth Truth Plastic would never have survived my childhood