Traffic

Waiting here for inspiration,
I sit and watch the traffic
through my net curtain
(which, incidentally, could do with a wash).

The weather's warm
so my window's open.
So many sounds I hear.

Every car, every lorry, every bus, every van
merge in the soundtrack of my life
making me wonder if silence really exists.

A screech of brakes.
A horn blaring in complaint.

Someone in a rush.
Who isn't?

A busy junction.
Vehicles stopping at lights.
The briefest pause
before journeys continue
into unknown territory beyond my sight.

A short hiatus while the lights change
from amber to red to amber to green.
A river pausing to survey its surroundings
before flowing again.

My words gathering themselves together
before rushing onto the page.

All these people gripping their steering wheels.
All these people I will never know.
All of them with places to go

while I stay here
watching, wondering;
waiting for my own time to hit the road.