the ballad of barry and clare ( an initial fragment)

as they stopped at the red lights
the system stopped them through

when they waited at the amber lights
they knew not what to do

now they raced through the green lights
they travelled bold and free
they'd played the game and suffered pain
and won their liberty

(and i do not wish to be bonnie and clyde
or even clare -
my past neighbour from the long-term guest house
so there!)

{I may add to this poem or I may stop here, leaving it short and quirky in the style of Stevie Smith}