[Perry Miller]

As I read the poem, I like it more and more. It is short, pithy, precise. However, why are you limiting your dread to the manual for your CAR (as indicated by the word "dashboard")? Why not bemoan having to reset ALL your clocks. Here is a suggestion that would accomplish that:

It's almost one, which means it's almost two.
Reading manuals fills our hearts with dread,
so setting all our clocks is hard to do.
It's almost one, which means it's almost two.
Though half of every year our time's askew,
frankly, we'd rather do the math instead.
It's almost one, which means it's almost two.
Reading manuals fills our hearts with dread.

"Manuals" is an awkward word. The thesaurus might come up with something better. Of course, you'll need a word with stresses on the same vowels, which will be hard to do. That would leave out "directions".