By Lila Weis, TIWP Student

Signals,
They’re the kind of thing that tell you whether to go or stop
Whether to fly or fall
Whether to do it or not

But the signals I get are like driving up to a stop light and realizing it’s purple
Do I go or not
Do I shoot my shot

We laugh, we smile, we spend hours talking and texting only for me to get the most basic response from you
I let you know that I’m sorry about your grandma’s funeral and you hit me with that
Nah bro, you’re all good

The kind of response a 7th grade boy would give
The kind you wouldn’t expect
The kind some might say as what you might call a “friend zone”

Everybody says that if a guy likes you he’ll let you know,
he’ll make it obvious
Why won’t you let me know

We spent an hour in math, unproductive
I quiz you on my Euro and you seem to know everything
but when you quiz me on world I have no clue

In health you sit with your friend and I know bro code
I know it’s bros before hoes 
But this girl wants him to prioritize her for once

To let her know how he feels
Even if it’s the response she dreads
She’d rather know for sure than to be in a constant state of wonder

People tell me that with relationships it’s black and white
He either likes you or he doesn’t
But the problem is there are too many shades of black and white
There’s shades between in the gray area
There’s medium, charcoal, smoke and more
 
It’s not as easy as 1+1=2
Or you like me I like you
It’s confusion, it’s wonder, it’s dread

But after Ms. Manning stops talking and we grab our phones, you wander over to her
The girl you liked in 9th grade
The girl that’s one of my best friends
The girl that is strong and funny, and smart
Maybe she’s the girl you want
The girl you desire
The girl you see yourself with

But I am that girl too
My friends tell me every day that it’s so obvious that I like you
Why don’t you realize that I’m standing here in front of you giving you the green light
But you’re on your phone so distracted
people are honking but you don’t realize the light’s green

Can’t you just look up for one second and realize that the world doesn’t revolve around your signals
Pick up the signals others give you and just take a second to process
Instead of disregarding every hint I give you
Take a hint

Back to signals
Be the green light
Be the light that leaves the door open for me
I’m shy, so I’m not just going to go up to you and say that I like you
I have a low self esteem, don’t out me like that
But if I have to, I’ll keep paving the way for the possibility that you look up from your phone for once and go through the green light.