Lawrence Hall
Dispatches for the Colonial Office
Forming a Committee Around a Car That Wouldn’t Start
The engine wouldn’t turn over; the electrics were dead
We stood around the open hood, each scratching his head
1st Member:
“It appears to me it’s the dead battery
There’s no indication of a charge, you see”
2nd Member:
“I’m a college graduate, so I am smarter
Obviously the problem is with the starter”
3rd Member:
“There’s a smell in the engine, something tannic
And I should know; I’m a certified mechanic”
4th Member:
“I’m a knight of the road; I drive a freighter
Just let me at that broken alternator”
But none of our skilled efforts came to pass
Because no one had bothered to check
the gas
