running on empty

should have stopped
and filled her up
but against prudence
i pushed on
destination miles away
and the needle cavorting E

turned on the radio to distract
the host was discussing
environmental abuse, ozone depletion
careless rape of mother nature
bemoaning our ungratefulness
how we destroy earth and self destruct

dislike large gatherings
mostly
those bloated egofaces
knowing all the prices
but not the values


looked for a familiar faces in naught
then got stuck with a brazen brash
i-am-god young man
bragged about his world
i smiled, and nodded occasionally
for maybe half an hour
all this while
images of polluted canals and rivers
indestructible plastic bags
flying in the wilderness
waste clogging drains and pipes
dead marine life
shrinking forests
played on my mind

finally when he paused
or i tired of smiling
he looked at me
for a nod or a comment
and i looked at the watch
hmmm…having shown my face
now i can safely exit
looked at the young man
one last time and said
you're running on empty