POEM - Thing Time 1995

We sacrificed for a dream

That rolled on four wheels

Because it was so cool

We passed by it

Then drove back

Stopped and salivated

Over the white VW Thing

With painted orange interior

And a tire mounted on the front

The rugged essence

Of convertible joy

We had to scrounge a scrape

To get our pennies together

But we made it ours

Got it registered

Just before getting pulled over

Missed a ticket by 1 mph

Showed it to the in-laws

And made them mad

Because we were being silly

Picked up our friends

And laughed and forgot our cares

Despite all that went wrong

She asked for a lot

In such a short time

New tires were first

Then the radio

Cuz you gotta have tunes

Then the generator was a dud

And I busted the clutch cable

And changed it at school

Right in the parking lot

Then the engine went

In increasing volumes

Of billowing white smoke

And we replaced that too

Despite it all

I wouldn’t trade it

For anything

And I only have one regret

That our time

With the car of our dreams

Was much too short