from the sky down

such a small crown you wear on your head
and yet you cradle it to yourself
when the world is crashing down
and smoke engulfs the city
you turn a blind eye
treat it like it’s forged from gold
how do you not see that it’s really just tarnished tin foil?

in the end the gilded relic slips from your head
as you try to climb your way up the rungs
stepping on the hands of others
always wanting to be the fastest and the first

the crown falls and the cheers echo on the way down
for the briefest of moments
you think you are going to fall along with it

perhaps this is your first lesson in invincibility
in learning fallacies and Achilles’ heels
because in knowing what you are
you must first know what you are not

By Isabelle Tong