I Mean...

(for Czeslaw Milosz "Adam and Eve")

Billions of years ago (I mean six thousand years ago),
when the universe was being made,
God must have anticipated Man's
future need for unleaded gasoline.

So on the third day of creation,
He made the seas and the lands
with large pools of petroleum
conveniently placed inside.
He looked at the work of his hands, paused
and said, "This was the worst idea ever."

As cars evolved (I mean developed)
from the Ford Model T to huge SUV's,
Man's dependence grew and grew
on this precious natural resource.

Hummers! Four Car Garages!
Seven Lane Highways! Traffic Jams!
But as the barrel prices rose,
so did his ego, so he started famines
and wars to maintain control
of this black gold.

Soon God's greatest gift to mankind
began to dry up across the lands.
We shrieked loudly and beat our chests
at all the oil companies as they
raised the price of gasoline.

Then something happened
that no one could have foreseen,
we all turned back into monkeys
(I mean...).