Crosswalk Countdown

Standing still as the city buzzes around,

voices merge, a hum that bleeds into dread.

The signal blinks red; my heart starts to pound,

each second a countdown, a tether to thread.

Impatience swells, strangers breathe down my neck,

the beep-beep beats out like a drum in my chest.

Waiting for green, a life on the wreck,

as time counts me down, I can’t wait for the rest.