The Secret Gas Cap
How strange and wonderful the left tail light
Of a '52 Cadillac was, how to fill the gas tank
One pushed a round reflecting button and
The fixture elevated to reveal the pipe's cap.
Momentarily I was confused, frightened,
Because how do you put gas in the car --
And then came the revelation. Once, twice,
I operated the mechanism that seemed
Such a wonder to my callow self, witless
As I was of all the automobiles -- the '41 Ford,
For example -- whose gas caps were hidden
Or camouflaged no less cleverly than that
Of the '52 Cadillac ever since the first secret
Gas cap car rolled off the line in October 1908.
Briar Patch
Smialek -- he called himself Smialek --
He could take a car apart and put it
Back together again fifty times like
Walter Chrysler did in 1911. Smialek,
Why, the junkyard was his briar patch
Like Br'er Rabbit had his briar patch
But what exactly is a briar patch?
It's a place don't nobody want to go
Except Smialek and Br'er Rabbit
Who don't want to go no place else!
Go ahead, give them a plane ticket
To anywhere and they won't take it!
Yes and No
Will I do an engine replacement?
Yes and no. It depends on do I
Know you and if I don't know you
Who you are. If you are with the
Police department I more or less
Have to do it even though you will
Expect to pay little or nothing for
The job and I don't even know you.
On the other hand if I know you or
You know somebody who knows me
Then I may do it if I have the engine
Available or if I can get it somewhere
But nine times out of ten I will send
You to A&B Auto Repair on Elston Ave.
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