Celebration pops against aeroplane sky.
Everywhere you look people are enjoying the combustion engine.

Come warm your hands in the excitement.
There is bleed through.

Puffs of smoke.

Some inventor thrilled to the first ten feet
and a nation of motorway grew up around them.

I like this.

second stanza's image transitioning into 3rd stanza's Puffs of smoke, then transitioning into last stanza works very well to me

your title and the last stanza reminds me specifically of the Anecdote of the Jar

http://writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/88/stevens-ancedote.html

Scott, Not sure what an aeroplane sky is unless N is referring to an air show.

What about a different approach to the topic in the opening line like:

Come, warm your hands in the excitement
of the combustion engine.

And go from there?

Maggie

thank you both.

"motorways" ?

Really good revision, Scott! Or has it just grown on me since first look? Either way, enjoy this a lot. Tom

thanks

I changed highways to motorway
to leave less doubt.

and thanks bodkin and Silent Lotus

I meant shouldn't motorway be plural?

Sounds right to me.
It's the way one can motor.

I keep coming back to read this again, Scott. This time I'm sending it to Picks. I don't know what it is, but it's so entertaining and thought-provoking at once, an anti-carnival. Tom