Seattle: 1953
The traffic lights went green yellow red
down the empty street in front of us
like a small mindlessness captured forever
in the double mirror of a barbershop.
Three in the morning, Dad, good citizen
stopped, waited, looked left, right.
He had been driving nine hundred miles,
had nearly a hundred more to go,
but if there was any impatience
it was only the steady growl of the engine
which could just as easily be called a purr.
I chided him for stopping;
he told me our civilization is founded
on people stopping for lights at three in the morning.
He was in that kind of mood.
My sisters were sprawled asleep in the back,
my mom was nodheaded beside me, lightly snoring.
I saw us all in a city where everyone
had died, traffic lights going on like a kind
of technological hair or fingernails
while Dad tells me about our civilization.
Beside us in a dimly lit laundry
empty suits were hung in rows
with numbers waiting on their sleeves.
–Bruce Hawkins.
Anonymous says
Lovely
Henry says
Many years ago, at about 3 in the morning, I was in the same situation, and treated a red light as merely a stop sign. From somewhere out of the empty streets, a cop car appeared and gave me a ticket. I have never done it since.
Barry says
Nice.
Henry, the odds were good that it was an intersection at which which many people ran that red light (for example, there was a good side view both ways, so that people could safely do that).
Henry says
Barry, you’re probably right, because I don’t think that I would have gone through it (stopping and looking both ways is not exactly “running” it) if it hadn’t been safe. But, if was safe, then why station a cop there? He could have been out catching marijuana smokers. (That’s a joke.)
Kate says
I know of two traffic lights, both in small towns, at which the police sit in adjacent parking lots and control the light late at night. They switch it to red as you approach and keep it there until a second car comes to the intersection. I’ve waited over 15 minutes for someone else to come along. It’s a way to raise money.
Henry says
Do they let you turn right on red so as to avoid the wait?
kate says
nope, no turn on red signs at both intersections
John G says
I wonder if the municipality that funds the police force keeps the money from the tickets. Sounds like a conflict of interest to me, albeit a pretty common one.
Henry says
I can’t imagine who else but the municipality would keep them. The real conflict would occur if the police department keeps them.
John G says
Henry: no real difference if the police get their money from the municipality. Their case for an increase is ‘we bring it in, we should get to spend it’ (for your safety, of course…)
Dan Staley says
Once again, Keith, I thank you for another little jewel. Many thanks.
John G says
Agreed. Digression re police conficts notwithstanding…