Monday morning, the lines form early,
Starting at dawn and lasting long past dusk.
Sit and wait, inch and squeeze, dart and honk.
Does it make any sense,
This quest for cents?
For a savings of six cents per gallon
To fill the 30-gallon tank
Of the $40,000 SUV
That travels only 15 miles
For each gallon of petrol pumped.
Meanwhile, the headlines read,
“Exxon Mobil Records Record-Breaking Profits”.
In just twelve months,
Thirty-six billion dollars added to the coffers,
The largest grab in history.
The sign swings in the wind
Advertising “Monday Madness”.
It is.
February 2006