how to kill a metropolis

begin with twenty million bodies, 

stacked, sweating, disposable. 

set aside their dreams; you won’t need those. 

add roads, but never finish them. 

sprinkle potholes generously, 

let the rain collect until 

the gutters belch. 

fold in high-rises, hollow as promises. 

season with power cuts, 

twelve hours minimum 

for that authentic sting. 

drop in buses, painted bright, 

but leave them to rust in traffic 

like carcasses. 

don’t forget the sea,  

make sure it rises hungry, 

make sure it chews the shoreline 

inch by inch. 

finally, garnish with slogans. 

serve the wreckage as spectacle. 

call it resilience.

Sumayya Arshed is a writer and poet based in Pakistan. Her poetry has been featured or is forthcoming in spaces such as The Marrow, Full House Literary, underscore_mag, The Bloomin’ Onion, Blood+Honey, Prosetrics, The Shore, Neologism Poetry Journal, Suburban Witchcraft Magazine, Eunoia Review and elsewhere. She has co-authored the anthologies As The Light Fades and Things The Moon Knew. Her short story “Drenched in Qorma and Dread” was shortlisted for the Zeenat Haroon Rashid Writing Prize 2025.