Choking dust
swirls through the air,
where bodies lie tangled—
an ever-expanding matrix of anguish.
A man clasps
a half-peeled orange.
Beside him,
a mother lies near her daughter,
her face torn ruthlessly
by the trembling beast.
A young boy stands,
arms outstretched,
as if crucified
in mid-breath.
Who will cover them
with earth?
Who will pluck flowers
and place them upon their graves?
Alone, a wounded survivor stands,
gazing in disbelief at the sky,
frozen by horror,
lost in a Ginsberg daze.
He tastes the world crumbling
on his tongue—
bitter, brittle,
teetering
on the edge of collapse.
.
Bhuwan Thapaliya
Picture Nick Victor
Nepalese poet Bhuwan Thapaliya works as an economist and is the author of five poetry collections. His poems have been widely published in international magazines and journals such as Kritya, The Lake, Foundling Review, FOLLY, WordCity Monthly, Poetry and Covid: A Project funded by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council, University of Plymouth, and Nottingham Trent University, Trouvaille Review, Journal of Expressive Writing, Pandemics Literary Journal, Pandemic Magazine, The Poet, Valient Scribe, Strong Verse, Ponder Savant, International Times, Taj Mahal Review, Poetry Life and Times, VOICES (Education Project), Longfellow Literary Project, Poets Against the War, Pratik among many others. Thapaliya has read his poetry and attended seminars in venues worldwide, including South Korea, India, the United States, Thailand, Cambodia, and Nepal.