traffic (revised)

Red
Green
Yellow
Stop
Go
Slow Down
Slow Down

Why don't we ever slow down?
Stuck in the constant flux of
Stop and
Go
We forget to take our time
We only know how to
kill it
While we wait in the stand still
both picking up smoking
so that we don't have to think of
the ghost in the passenger seat.


We have stopped so often
That when we
Go
I do... as fast as I can
holding you close
kissing your lips
trying
to get you to take your g-d damn shirt off...
fitting as much as I possibly can in
before we stop again.

I miss yellow lights
the warning...
knowing when to start weaning myself off
of the needing.

But we never did have those
yield signs...
It has always been
hot and cold
night and day
not being able to get enough of each other

and then...
STOP

Never sure what triggered the red light
too much
too close
too fast

But it was you who wouldn't let go

You who kissed first
You who crept to my porch
You who kissed me and told me
how much you would miss me
the night before you left...

And I prayed for a yellow light then
an extension on our parting
But city traffic is unreliable
and I have been stuck smoking
at this stop light for
two fucking years
and I don't think I can listen to
Suzanne Vega sing
"Cracking"
one more time.

I can see the light turning yellow
for the traffic to my right
This is the longest three seconds of my life...
one
did you miss me?
two
who's that other guy?
three
when are you coming back?

the green light is coming
but I'm sure there's more
red
ahead
and it is high time
that I quit smoking