Shadows of the City Left Behind

In the darkened nook
Of a weary city’s spine
Where shadows of tyranny creep
Etched on the walls of decay

Along narrow veins
Where dreams are sold cheap
Beneath reluctant street lamps
Afraid to gleam too bright

Is this but a mirage
Or truth marked by each ticking beat
Beneath a sky forever gray
With stars lost to the dark

We hold our breath for dawn
A dawn that hides
In the crumbling hands of time

This world grains of sand
Sift through the grip of power
Scattered by unseen winds
Leaving nothing but whispers

And yet in the heart’s core
A smoldering ember remains
A flicker of light endures
Even against the weight of night