Originally published in Sarah E. Wright and Lucy Smith’s Give Me a Child (1955) , now out of print. If you’d like to assist/keep up-to-date with efforts to get the book printed again, follow our Substack.

This moment is precious:
The car has stopped.
Thank God for red lights
And seats enough this morning.
Oh let me glory for a second
In the time-bitten punctuation
Of a pause
In a well timed ride.

Green light — Go!
Red light — Stop!
Yellow light — decide de-de-decide!
Now we ride—jerk! Ride.

Let no throat, scorched by hasty coffee,
Pantingly declare, “I can make that car”
We have a sympathetic driver this morning;
He waited for several guys
And he’d wait for another.
He can make that light! No!
Here comes the guy with the coffee throat!
No! Go!
Green light—come!
We can make it —
	I can make it if he goes now —
My job is now —
	(he’s white — he can get another job!)
I must:
	We must
	Make it — Now!