The Armageddon Clause

A formal notice arrived today
from our auto insurance company.
It was a succinctly-stated reminder,
written in erudite legalese
to inform us, in no uncertain terms,
that we won't get a dime
if our car evaporates
in ten million blinding degrees
at ground zero.

Nor will we be compensated
if our car is thrown through the air
in the ensuing shockwave.
Not even a word of solace
if a truck is dropped upon our roof
by that seething wall of air.

There won't be a dime for us,
nuked, irradiated, flash-burned,
left vomiting
by a few too many hundred rads.

There were other clauses --
no expenses will be covered
to de-radiate our car,
flush its exterior and interior
of radiological waste kicked out
by some terrorist's inner-city
dirty bomb.

If we get charred to black flakes
and blasted through windows
of buildings further back,
no claim will be honored.
No payout will occur.

We'll be fucked, says my company,
come Armageddon...

Scott Speck
02/28/2003