The Pecan Park Eagle

The 1951 Oldsmobile was once one of the classiest cars on the All American highway.

Fords and Chevys and proud Chryslers too,

They once all rolled ‘cross the Red White and Blue,

But they had lots of company; what else can I say?

They were all born and bred in the USA!

Hudson and Nash and Kaiser-Fraser we knew,

‘Long with Packard, DeSoto, and Studebaker too.

Our affections resounded in many a pucker,

As we each laid a kiss on our happy new Tucker.

We built them with steel and extra cheap oil

That just seemed to flow from American soil.

We made them with care, taking nothing for granted,

We left trains for highways; we were simply enchanted.

Four wheels on gas would run us forever,

And Ike’s new roads worked like pushing a lever,

We rodded to the suburbs and a screaming new call,

That resulted in cities that strangled on sprawl.

Somewhere in time we stopped paying attention,

And the quality we built in them grew too slight to mention.

And new cars from Europe – and then from Japan,

Came in to soon challenge – the kings of car land.

And then one by one, our cars fell aside,

And we stopped making steel – as oil prices skied.

We borrowed more money – to just stay afloat,

As others from worse fates climbed onto the boat.

And now we all sit – on a bloated national debt,

As the oil spill floods us – and the terrorists fret,

Over who’s going to take us, hardest and first?

The threat of their bombs? Or the damn oilrig burst?

To all I say, “Listen! – It’s time for a change,

Back to that spirit we once found on the range.

We saw it in the Lady near old Ellis isle,

We found it on the trains that we built with great style.

New Americans and Old – it’s time to rebuild,

On passion not prices – on good and not greed.

I know we can do it – setting politics aside,

But how we do what – escapes my limited hide!”

Suggestions are welcome here.

Suggestions that work are more important than rhymes.

Tags: America, culture, economics

This entry was posted on June 6, 2010 at 12:30 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.