I walk the city suburbs
with tree lined streets
on a pleasant summers day
with a modicum of heat
a pleasant perambulation
that sort of, has me freaked
the hum and rumble of engines
vibration in the air
the noise of grounded traffic
stuck in a rat run
abetted by the phone app
to bypass congestion
I glimpse through open windows
Ongoing family life
Parents and children exposed
To pollutions rising tides
I smell the slightly acrid stench
pumping from exhausts
nothing very potent and nowt
to see of course
If I had an infra red camera I could show
the world a sight of danger
would they want to know
Cars with flaming tails
that pinpoint deadly fumes
and show how they move and spiral
into those innocent living rooms
I read in the paper
lockable bollards might do the trick
so residential streets become closed
and only residents get a fix
it seems the stuff of nightmares
to lock the suburbs down
Is this our best solution
To traffics constant merry go round?