Internal Combustion Engine

The transformation of energy
From chemical to mechanical,
The crankshaft no longer started with
A hand–crank, thanks to Charles Kettering .
The stoichiometric reactant

Of petroleum sparked and compressed
In the presence of an oxidizer
Explodes, the piston reversing course :
Reciprocating in Otto cycles .
A metallic base, an engine block

Honed with cylinders houses pistons
—Four–stroking along the crosshatches—
That transfer force through the gudgeon pins
And connecting rods, the countering
Becoming circular . All the while

The lobes of the camshaft pushing rods
That open and close the valves like stops
On brassy horns in an orchestra ;
The hum of the intake and compression,
The power stroking and exhaust notes .

Engine