Sellin’ Ramblers

Sellin’ Ramblers now 3/26/09

You could say this mornin’ I had too much time
You might say I was bored
My fingers did a devil’s dance
Across my computer keyboard

I typed in the name of my ex-boss
Someone universally hated
PhD, big whoopee!
Lady MacBeth with a southern accent
Even the blind despised her

She’s buying foreclosed houses
Just like in the infomercials
Offering to pay cash!
That is when I told myself
“She’s sellin’ Ramblers now”

Sellin’ Ramblers now?
What’s that mean?
You may well ask

It’s something my brother Frank would say
When he was selling sun-roofs and stereos
For Ford Mavericks and Monte Carlos
They turned out at GM-Fairfax or Ford ClaycoMoBack when people still bought American cars

But not from American Motors
That once made Rambler cars
Their cars were lemons
Pacers, Gremlins and Matadors
Sellin’ Ramblers now
It means as a car salesman you’re loser
And a loser you are lucky to be

So my ex-boss is sellin’ Ramblers
That gave me a few seconds of glee
But then I looked in the mirror
And caught a glimpse of me

My life not exactly a Saturn Rocket
Launched off into space
More like liftoff, then crash into the launching pad
Got a useless college degree
So I wouldn’t have to punch a clock
But punch a clock I do
I’m sellin’ Ramblers too

I am certainly not lonely
As I sit in the sandwich shop
I think I see in the faces of the diners
Certain desperate stares
As they wait for their sandwiches
They total up their cares

They worry about their health benefits
The safety of their 401ks
How our factories don’t make nothin’ anymore
How as a country we’ve lost our way
The Chinese won’t buy our treasury bonds
Rush hopes Obama fails
We’re white knuckling on a roller coaster ride
Or are we a doomed Republic on a downhill slide?

We return early to our offices
And try to act like we’re working hard
As we shuffle our pieces of paper
Probably worthless IOUs
We’re all sellin’ Ramblers
We’re all sellin’ Ramblers now.

Capitano Tedeschi

30

copyright 2009 Jamie Jacks