What does it mean to break the ordinary
to lift a pen like a chisel against stone,
knowing the first stroke
may draw blood from your own palm
before the marble yields?

The poet stands in rubble,
not as scavenger but as archaeologist of the unspoken,
sifting through what civilization discarded:
rusted prayers,
half-truths wrapped in silk,
the hollow promises fed to hungry mouths.

Here, in the space between collapse and creation,
we learn the grammar of phoenix-speech
how ash becomes ink,
how destruction whispers the blueprints of what endures.

To shatter,
is to reveal the fault lines already etched beneath the surface,
to name the cracks we’ve learned to ignore.

And so we build:
not monuments to beauty,
but altars to the beautiful refusal,
where truth burns clean,
where words rise like smoke signals from the wreckage,
calling to those who still remember how to see. 
 

Selected byRaymond Huffman
Image credit:Monceau on Flickr
Dr Padmashree RP

Dr. Padma Shree R.P. isn't just an educator, orchestrating educational excellence for over 35 years, b also a budding poet. As a Karnataka Educational Services Officer, she is at present a Senior Assistant Director in Karnataka's Department of School Education and Literacy. She wields expertise in teacher training, curriculum design, research and fostering English Language Teaching. But her repertoire extends beyond the classroom. Dr. Padma Shree crafts innovative programs and policies, seamlessly integrating technology to empower students. A champion for girls' education, multilingualism, and published research, she's a writer, poet, and storyteller, weaving her passion for teaching into everything she does.  Dr. Padma Shree leads with infectious enthusiasm; her communication, organisation, and leadership skills are bringing any educational vision to life.