{"id":48314,"date":"2025-09-01T18:22:56","date_gmt":"2025-09-01T22:22:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/?p=48314"},"modified":"2025-09-01T18:22:58","modified_gmt":"2025-09-01T22:22:58","slug":"some-valuable-cores","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/2025\/09\/poetry-in-motion\/some-valuable-cores\/","title":{"rendered":"Some Valuable Cores"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>

We all know what it means to have \u201ccore values\u201d right? These are the fundamental beliefs and morals that each of us adhere to and use to guide our behavior and help to keep us between the ditches, so to speak. But do we recognize and fully appreciate the value of a core? Let\u2019s find out, shall we? The following poem is just a little something I thought about when I was pondering the smallest little parts on my truck or, perhaps, the various under-appreciated components that keep me moving right along \u2013 until they fail. Some of those parts will leave you stranded if they decide this relationship ain\u2019t working for them anymore. But, in some cases, even a failed component may still hold some value, if it\u2019s rebuildable. The parts stores know this, and that is where they justify adding a \u201ccore\u201d charge to the purchase of your new replacement parts. Bring back a good \u201ccore\u201d and get your core-charge back. You all know this already. Cores are everywhere. Radiators, heaters, and various other parts (even valve-stems have cores). I have core values, just like you do. And perhaps\u2026 some valuable cores!<\/p>

CORE VALUES
By Trevor Hardwick<\/strong><\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>

Let me introduce myself,
You think that I\u2019m no good\u2026
I used to be quite useful,
Out there underneath your hood.<\/p>

Once you\u2019re done abusing me,
You may toss me aside\u2026
I still hold value, even if,
I\u2019m worn-out, broke or fried.<\/p>

You\u2019ll toss me in a little box,
And haul me to the store\u2026
Trade me in, for something new,
\u2018Cause I\u2019m a damn-good core!<\/p>

And you may call me \u201cFinnish\u201d,
Since I\u2019ve got so many fins\u2026
I stand alone, way out front,
And that\u2019s where it begins.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>

I keep it cool, behind the grill,
If not, then you\u2019d be cooked\u2026
If I should fail to keep my cool,
Then you\u2019d be on a hook.<\/p>

My biggest fan has got my back,
To cool me even more\u2026
You won\u2019t get far without me,
I\u2019m your radiator core!<\/p>

Wheels keep spinning, round & round,
And tires keep holding air\u2026
Making lots of money,
For a lot of folks out there.<\/p>

We shine up all our tires,
And we polish up the rims\u2026
But they wouldn\u2019t stay together,
If it weren\u2019t for that valve-stem.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>

That little stem is holding back,
A hundred pounds, or more\u2026
But let\u2019s give credit where it\u2019s due,
That little valve-stem core!<\/p>

You know by now, how much it costs,
To buy parts at the store\u2026
If you don\u2019t bring the core parts back,
They\u2019ll charge you even more!<\/p>

I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve heard a million tales,
Of overheated trucks\u2026
A damaged core that pukes and leaks,
Is just my kind of luck.<\/p>

You\u2019ve heard the stories, far and wide,
Like fairy-tale folklore\u2026
But I bet you\u2019ve never heard a poem,
About a valve-stem core!<\/p>

<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We all know what it means to have \u201ccore values\u201d right? These are the fundamental beliefs and morals that each of us adhere to and use to guide our behavior and help to keep us between the ditches, so to speak. But do we recognize and fully appreciate the value of a core? Let\u2019s find<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":48315,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-48314","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-poetry-in-motion"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48314","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48314"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48314\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48319,"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48314\/revisions\/48319"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48315"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}