I don’t know how it came to pass
But halfway up to Kefalas,
Contrasting with the stormy night
I saw a dashboard warning light.
I thought at first it was the strain
The car is under in the rain
As water from a whirling tyre
Gets splattered up and plugs misfire.
“No, it’s not that”, I growled “you chump:
The shape is of a petrol pump!”
I checked the gauge, could clearly see
The needle resting down on “E”.
I’m pretty careful as a rule
To check the level of the fuel
But now this little oversight
Might strand me on a pitch black night.
“I should turn back” I thought “but still
I’m more than halfway up the hill
And, after all, I could coast down
The winding road right into town. “
But most of all I pinned my hopes
On knowing that with uphill slopes
The level tends to look much worse
While downhill driving’s the reverse.
In other words, I chose to bank
On sensor placement in the tank.
And now I’ve reached my destination
My next goal is the petrol station:
I should still get there in the morning
Despite that little yellow warning.
But if I’m wrong, and it’s all talk,
It’s going to be a long, long walk.
