Reverend Cilas P. Gruter's Crank Retards the Spark

he gripped
his crank with
his thumb wrapped
below with his fingers,
starting his Model A was
as common as preaching,
it seems both have become
a lost art,

he did it
the old way,
set the emergency
brake making sure his
shifter was in neutral, his
congregation waited in the
pews, he adjusted the mixture
on the dash to set for the pulpit
condition, he retarded the spark,
lowered the throttle lever three notches,
ignition off, "hold the choke out, fully closed,"
the congregation could hear him,

Reverend Cilas P.
Gruter put the crank
in place, gas ran from
the carburetor to the floor,
released choke, ignition on,
pulled the crank, pulled it a
second time, his congregation
startled when a kickback occured,
"be conservative with the choke, "the
congregation could hear him, "a flooded
engine is guaranteed to lose a congregation."

Copyright Ms. Sage Sweetwater, firebrand lesbian novelist