RED THUNDERBIRD PIGMENT

We first saw Ford's Thunderbird in fifty-five --
Several colors, but my favorite is red,

My brother once worked for United Paint
As a chemist -- he spoke of pigment and said,

"The red color is often named, Carmine --
Made of powdered female insects called cochineal,

Most, if not all, of it comes from a little-known
Area in Spain" -- I found it unreal,

That beautiful, vivid coloration must serve
To attract males for mating, I thought,

But much of that pigment served to attract human females
To any red Thunderbird ever bought,

I purchased a new T-bird in sixty-six --
A blood-red, shiny Town Landau,

With reluctance, I parted with that honey of a car --
It's likely had many owners by now,

Here we are in two thousand -- the twenty-first century --
Thunderbird lacks the mystique of fifty-five,

But Ford has acquired the name and fame of Jaguar --
English styling on an American platform will surely thrive.

                                     by D. Edgar Murray 05/01/2000.