Sirens and Fireworks on the Edge of the Year

Sirens and Fireworks on the Edge of the Year

Verse 1 — Belarus steel and the Oreshnik name

Convoys roll through birch-dark roads, mobile shadows primed to reach a continent. Once-banned fire returns after treaties were torn, warheads masked till the last hard second. Screens glow with drills, peace talks shiver, capitals feel breath on the back of the neck.

Sources:

• Nuclear-capable Oreshnik missiles enter active service - Defense News
• Russia's nuclear-capable Oreshnik missiles have entered active service - ABC News
• Russia's nuclear-capable Oreshnik missiles now in active service - PBS News
• Russia shows nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile system deployed in Belarus - Euronews

Verse 2 — Justice Mission around an island

Grey hulls circle, skies thrum like a hive, ports sealed in rehearsal, rockets sketch rings on the sea. Airliners bend their paths, hummingbirds dodging storms. Beijing calls it punishment and a warning, after Washington promised heavier steel. They say it out loud now: outsiders, keep away.

Sources:

• China announces major military drills around Taiwan - CNN
• China flexes blockade capabilities near Taiwan - NPR
• China fires several rockets around Taiwan - Al Jazeera
• China launches 2 days of live-fire military drills around Taiwan - CBS News

Chorus

On the edge of the year, the sirens sing, we raise our fists but we want better things. In the smoke of the headline, hold your ground, hearts like drums, truth like sound. We won’t look away, we won’t be numb, light a match for the world to become.

Verse 3 — Bondi’s silence, Sydney’s vow

Surf turned solemn at a festival of light, a father and son with a death-cult shadow tore a hole through families and faith. A child, a rabbi, a survivor of the camps— names we whisper, candles we guard. Laws tightening, citizenship tied to the trigger, the Bridge glowed white, a full minute of hush, hospitals humming through the night.

Sources:

• 15 dead in shooting at Bondi Beach Hanukkah event - NBC News
• At least 15 killed in mass shooting at Hanukkah event - NPR
• Bondi Beach attack shatters life for Australia's Jewish residents - NBC News
• Australia sees deadliest shooting since 1996 - Axios

Verse 4 — Frozen cradles in Minnesota

A viral clip points fingers at mothers’ hands, and a lifeline to parents turns to ice. Prosecutors talk of schemes in every hallway, agents swarm, cameras chase the heat. A governor calls it politics, reporters find most doors still clean. Then the rules stretch coast to coast: show the proof before the care can flow.

Sources:

• HHS freezing child care payments to all states after Minnesota fraud allegations - ABC News
• Trump administration says it's freezing child care funds to Minnesota - NPR
• Trump administration freezes child care payments to Minnesota - CNN
• Trump administration freezes Minnesota childcare funds - Al Jazeera

Chorus

On the edge of the year, the sirens sing, we raise our fists but we want better things. In the smoke of the headline, hold your ground, hearts like drums, truth like sound. We won’t look away, we won’t be numb, light a match for the world to become.

Verse 5 — A drone’s echo over Venezuela

A quiet wing strikes a lonely dock, no voices there, just splinters and salt. They say it hit a gang’s supply, the White House nods, pressure thickens at sea— boats shattered, tankers shadowed, engines lined at the horizon. Make the strongman bend, they boast, while critics call law by its name and ask who signed the thunder.

Sources:

• CIA carried out drone strike on port facility on Venezuelan coast - CNN
• CIA behind strike at Venezuelan dock - NPR
• CIA conducted drone strike on Venezuela port facility - The Hill
• Trump's CIA strike on Venezuela keeps options open - The Hill

Verse 6 — The world turns and the sky answers

From Pacific dawn to towers of glass, the planet breathes sparks into a new chapter. Sydney pauses, then blooms, watched by careful eyes. Stones in London sing, Paris hums, gates in Berlin glow, and islands choose softer skies— low-noise light and humming drones for tender ears and shaken hearts.

Sources:

• New Year's Eve celebrations welcome 2026 around the world - CBS News
• New Year's 2026: Celebrations around the world - ABC News
• NPR World News

Final Chorus and Coda

On the edge of the year, the sirens sing, we raise our fists but we want better things. In the smoke of the headline, hold your ground, hearts like drums, truth like sound. We won’t look away, we won’t be numb, light a match for the world to become.

Coda

Turn down the war cry, turn up the choir, missiles to mothballs, blockades to bridges. No secret thunder, no black-flag scripture, let docks hold bread, let streets hold dancers. Count it in with breath, not fear— kick the door on a brighter year. Guitars like sirens, drums like hearts, let mercy start, let mercy start, and peace come crashing in.