Every vehicle had stopped
no one honked
people on the streets stopped
frozen in their walk
their legs hanging
midways in their steps
everything turned motionless and still
as the music had stopped
forcing them to freeze

And then
those grotesque permanence
grafted on every skull
earphones earbuds and AirPods
their noise cancellation disconnecting
everyone from the real world
came alive suddenly
the way they had gone silent before
music and podcasts blared again
their overwhelming rhythm
and immersive lores
into their brains
benumbed
eyes widened, pupils dilated
heart rates quickened
from their enforced slumber

everyone came alive
unfrozen
as if a spell was broken
by some divine intervention
and moved smoothly in continuation
in the exact same strides
they were moving in
before the interruption
noticing nothing amiss