the manger

while filling up my car
with premium no lead
gasoline, because that's
all it takes, standing at
the pumps, listening to
the christmas carols
on the loudspeakers
i can't help but notice
how beautifully decorated
this gas station is for
christmas. i almost forget
the oil spills, and
the toxic fumes that
rise by the minute into
the air depleting the
ozone layer, causing
deadly radiation to give
us skin cancer. the blinking
lights are everywhere,
on every bonsai tree
and bush and strung along
the faux stone wall around
the pagoda garden. blues
and whites, magnificient
reds and greens, i wish
that whoever did this winter
wonderland of joy and mirth
in lights would come
to my house and give
me a helping hand.
there are balloon filled
santas and reindeer on
the roof, floating about,
elves with fat red cheeks
dance in the wind,
tethered to the air pump
and new tire racks on
the side. and in the corner
near the bays where the cars
are worked on and inspected
is a manger scene lit up
with a gold beam of light,
with charlie brown and linus
as shepards, lucy is mary,
pig pen is joseph and in
the mangager is a blowup
figurine of snoopy as jesus,
savior of the world, himself.