The Mad Mad Oil Poem by Jerry Behr Number 2

For thousands of years man relied on the horse for
transport, the horse was a magnificent animal that
responded well to all his commands. Man could run
the horse in all weather conditions,
with great love man and horse built great traditions.

The horse could run day or night, for fuel, it only
ran on grass and water, the horse every now and
again, only required brake shoe changes.
As transport, it had good stopping power,
great cornering abilities, running around any tower.

All horses were equipped with automatic
transmissions with variable speed changes, which
man could change at his will. Man loved the horse
lavishing great attention leading him into strife,
there's accusations he loved it more then his wife.

There were a couple of drawbacks with the horse;
There was the horse dung problems which had to
be shoveled up from the main street by the tonne.
After a long ride the horse decided it past the test,
being tired the horse stopped and needed a rest.

In the beginning of the twentieth century a man,
Henry Ford, decided he had enough of tired horses,
and developed a horseless carriage. He called it by
an unromantic name as the model T Ford car,
it ran on petrol it could drive anywhere and far.

Ford knew that in the United States, especially in
the Southern States, oil was discovered in vast
quantities. Unlimited supplies of vast oil lakes
gushing out of oil rigs, is indeed black gold,
They said to Ford, the oil is unlimited so be bold.

Seeing that there was an unlimited supply of oil,
Ford decided to create mass production to make
cars easier to make, and cheaper for people.
Churned out cars by the thousands for the market,
he believed ordinary people should be the target.

The horseless carriage combined with unlimited oil
became a huge success, Ford turned out model T's
by the millions. Governments world wide had to
build new roads and highways, huge expressways,
roads everywhere, endless miles of motorways.

Other manufacturers observing Henry Ford said to
themselves, surely he can't have the whole car
market to himself. Along came Buick, Cadillac, master
pieces like the Chevrolet and the Dodge stunning Ford,
found he's the priest of mass production, not the Lord.

The car became a world wide phenomenon, along came
Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot, Porsche, and the great General
Motors, the world was becoming motorized.
Built cities, whole civilizations all around the motor car.
The car was king of the road going anywhere and far.

Late in 1941 war mongering Japan, was not well
endowed with oil, relying on the United States for
their mad, mad oil.The United States said stop your war
mongering or no oil. Japan's response was a deadly act,
attacking Pearl Harbour, she wanted oil which was fact.

The United States dropped the atom bomb on
Japan ending World WarTwo, the people danced. In
peace the world entered into the rock'n roll years with
8 cylinder cars now the norm, petrol was cheap.
Winged chrome car manufacturing increased real steep;

After the War, George Orwell wrote the novel
'Nineteen Eighty-Four, ' a world where on TV screens,
man would see daily, armies constantly on the march.
Cameras in the streets watching people's every move;
Watching everybody for identities they could prove;

The rock'n rollers laughed, the war was over, these
are the good times with rock'n roll,8 cylinder cars.
Underneath the ground there were vast oil lakes
Motorists going for long drives with fun in the mind,
going to work, and anything else they could find.

In Nineteen Seventy-Four came an energy crises, the
world quickly realized, that the oil lakes were dwindling
in their countries. They relied on Middle Eastern
countries and OPEC. The world also discovered Islamic
countries and Muslim religions, it became dramatic.

Barrels of oil were not a couple of bucks, it now costed
heaps more like thirty-four bucks. It sent the rock'n rollers
for a spin they couldn't afford 8 cylinder cars
and halved the number of cylinders in their cars.
People drove Datsuns, V.Ws, Volvos, now the stars.

Hippy people of the time said 'Real cool man' pushed
and shoved a dozen hippies in a Mini. The rest went into
Combi vans bedecked with flowers driving into the sunset
looking for waves. The good times rolled on, surfing is fun
and the motoring world can enjoy their unlimited run.

However, in the United States, President after President,
were concerned about the dwindling oil lakes. Carter,
Reagan and George Bush were concerned about the
Middle East with their vast oil lakes and difficulties
with Muslim nations with different thoughts and realities.

A lot of countries in the Middle East each have their own
oil lakes. More than enough to make every man women
and child rich. However, each country spent billions
on weaponry and the whole region is filled with fear,
watching their oil lakes and money which they could steer.

Iraq's megalomaniac dictator Saddam Hussein not
satisfied with his own oil lakes looked upon Kuwait with
its vast oil lakes. Invading Kuwait Saddam Hussein
started the Persian Gulf War Part 1.The oil dependent
world was horrified came to Kuwait to aid the defendant.

By now George Orwell's ghost loomed large; As the
misnomered world war began, the war was displayed
on all television screens around the world for all to see.
It was displayed on all channels, screening relentless sights
of armies on the march in deadly combat in oil fights.

The Coalition of world armies was winning the war
Saddam Hussein was forced out of Kuwait. Being a mad
dictator he looked in retreat at the mad, mad oil and set
Kuwait's oil lakes alight created a scene from Dante's hell.
Hussein laughed as he looked at his troops where they fell.

You would think that the world would heed the warning
about dwindling oil lakes and the fact the oil lakes wont
last forever. No, now started to drive 4 wheel drive cars,
like Landcruiser, Nissan Patrol, nearly an unlimited range
Jeep Cherokee, Pajero driving around nothing is strange.

The 4 wheel drives are so large the driver thinks he's king
of the road. Nothing but nothing is going to hurt this
bull-barred driver, as he sees over all. It started a whole
new craze and everybody wanted one, a gas guzzling car
that can go around without any fear go anywhere and far.

The United States system of democracy moved on,
President George Bush passed the baton to President
Clinton. An unusual event happened in the twenty first
century. The son of Bush came to be President,
another Bush in the White House was the resident.

After terrorists attacked the World Trade Centre, the
United States declared war on terrorism. Governments
all over the world put spy cameras everywhere,
in streets, in buildings, trains, to watch people move,
watching terrorists using cameras the identities to prove.

By now, George Orwell's spirit took ponderous
proportions, as armies moved around the world. Again
television screens day and night, viewed the war.
This was Persian Gulf War Part 2— terrorism's war;
Bush unleashed vast armies they had in store;

Cameras were in streets, watching people's every move.
More vigilant for terrorists who didn't like United States
amongst the oil lakes in the Middle East. Megalomaniac
Saddam Hussiein was thrown from power,
democracy was now the future watchword and tower.

The United Stated might have won the war, it didn't win
the peace in Baghdad, and Iraq descended into a
quagmire. A Dante's hell where evil spirits danced on the
miraged sand dunes of irony tormenting the West,
fomenting religious passions evil became a pest.

Oil as the world knows it, will not last forever. However,
man has built whole civilizations around the motor car
that relies on the mad, mad oil. Man built the first
horseless carriage he must now build something new.
A petrolless car that is for everybody and not the few.