Nupur Chaturvedi

Chip by chip, piece by piece an edifice crumbles
On the top floor, you think you are safe,
You think nothing can touch you so far above the ground
Never mind that giddy joy has a paranoid evil twin
Never mind that oxygen thins with every step you rise.

You feel the rumble beneath your feet
You think the earth is moving
You think you are moving the earth
All the time, the cracks climb up like spiders.

Then panic sets in and your legs tremble
Even though you know there is time
To escape from the emergency exit
But you freeze, you don’t take that route.

And then you remember:
The edifice, it has a bold foundation
The edifice, it will rise again
Until then, you must brace for the destruction of status quo.