Traffic jam by Abi Tadiwa Furayi

The robot flashes amber

a perpetrator’s sense of control

on a locked crossroad

oblivion to the consequences

of his assumed entitlement

a two-way lane turned into four

by drivers eager to reinforce gender inequality

horns cry out

to what is yet to come

the plight of our mothers and sisters.

a daily routine

between a clutch and an accelerator

in a traffic jam

who will hold down the breaks?

at the traffic lights

as pedestrians stare

at the struggles of the passenger.