The Little Engine That Shouldn't (a political metaphor)

The Little Engine That Shouldn't

(a political metaphor)

Listen my children

And gather around

As I tell you a story

Of a dipstick I found

This story I tell you

In sight and in sound

Is quite similar in substance

To one long around

The message, I fear

Long familiar to some

Is one long neglected

To some others, new-come

A dipstick, I'll tell you

Is a useful device

Meant for use as a measure

Of some lubricant's heights

Our dipstick, our measure

One time did reside

In it's proper position

Of an engine's inside

This little old engine

Was quite useful indeed

As a part of an auto

Used for transport, not speed

It was not meant for racing

Or for hauling big loads

It was not meant for towing

Or the paving of roads

The engine's main purpose

Was for movement, you see

Of a small group of people

From point A to point B

On a day that was fateful

And for reasons unclear

Our poor little engine

Felt a change was quite near

So, our dear little engine

One so useful, but old

Made an awful decision

All at once, that was bold

“I am tired of my smallness

I will no more be slow

I despise all my weakness

To the track I will go”

“I will gather up pieces

From afar, and from near

I will attach them at random

To my front and my rear”

“This will make me look bigger

It will add stature and weight

This will give me more length

And make me first out the gate”

“As for the power that's needed

To the speed shop I'll wander

There'll be bolt-ons I wager

All this strength I'll not squander”

To the speed shop our engine

With alacrity retired

A pit crew was needed

A crew quickly was hired

The crew had no experience

In fast auto repair

The crew had not even

Tried changing a spare

They were all experts, it seemed

Of one sort or another

But of auto repair

No-one was to bother

These experts, they tinkered

They welded, they molded

Until every last piece

That was purchased was bolted

Not a person it seemed

Had a thought or a clue

Of what truly was needed

What they really should do

No though had been given

To the chassis, suspension

To transmission, to seals

No thought given to engine

No rebuild was done

To any component

Just new parts tacked on

Where they fit at the moment

Our old engine, once useful

So gleaming, so proud

Found himself at the racetrack

He was stunning the crowd

With new body all gleaming

With new chrome, shining bright

Our old engine sat idling

At the gate, at the light

His opponent sat rumbling

He had been here before

He was shorter and lighter

He had power galore

Our old engine was boastful

He was confident, proud

He was certain to win

His exhaust was quite loud

As the signal descended

The lights lit on the tree

The contestants took off

Amid a shower of debris

Our old useful engine

Not designed for a load

With old parts all worn out

Did quite quickly explode

The rings on the engine

Not designed for race gas

Did allow for some seepage

Did allow fuel to pass

The fumes were quite powerful

To the pan they did charge

The spark was quite forceful

The explosion was large

The dipstick was tiny

The tube like a gun

The mass was too small

For the force of a ton

All the pieces were scattered

And while most were around

The dipstick was launched

And not easily found

The moral of our story

While not easy to see

Do not waste an engine

On a wild racing spree

If you must go out racing

Use parts and a crew

That are designed for the purpose

And who know what to do

Or like our useless old engine

And our dipstick ejected

You will find your parts scattered

And your measure rejected