The invasion of the hyphens

Friday morning on the bus,

Manx says his dad

is taking on a tyre repair franchise,

which amounts to a few dozen spares

stacked behind the besser-block toilet

with a billboard out front

advertising four tyres for $500.

Bargain.

Manx’s dad says it’ll give him

something to do

instead of scratching his arse,

while sitting behind the counter.

He reckons business might improve

with people moving here

from the city.

He calls it, The invasion of the hyphens:

too many last names,

too much money

and no sense of value.

Manx reckons we should

take a fishing knife to the rubber

of every BMW in town.

Those tyres cost a bomb.

For that sort of cash,

Manx’s dad would do house calls.

I’m not great with a fishing knife,

but I’ll keep watch for Manx

to help the Gunn family business.