The day the lights broke down

The day the lights broke down,
there were just three empty shells.
Unilluminated.

Some cars carried on oblivious.
No signal is go signal.

Some formed an orderly queue.

Those in motion told the ones queuing,
'the lights have gone'.
But this solved nothing.

What to do? How to act?
Some drivers got out and started talking about the problem.
Shall we create a new set of lights?
Shall we do without?
Can we do without?
What about a different system?

A few settled upon a friendly agreement,
flashing their lights at one another to signal intentions.

Some refused to play that game.
It was the old way or the highway.

Some just get out of their cars and walked.

The lights came back on again, later that evening.
But nothing was ever the same again.