Storms, Silences, and the Wires Between Us

Storms, Silences, and the Wires Between Us

Verse 1 — The Winter Storm

A spine of ice ran down the map, the sky turned iron gray, Airports slept on cots of snow, the runways lost their way. New York wore a heavy crown it hadn’t felt in years, In Texas, young hearts slipped beneath a pond and disappeared. The grids blinked like tired eyes, the cold bit through the bone, Airlines said they’d never seen a storm cut this close to home. Sirens, shovels, prayers and salt, a nation held its breath, And whispered, let the next front pass without another test.

Sources:

• ABC News - Winter storm updates: Dozens dead across US
• NPR - U.S. winter storm deaths rise and power outages linger
• Al Jazeera - At least 30 dead as severe winter storm coats US in snow and ice
• Euronews - Death toll rises to 30 as freezing temperatures continue
• NBC New York - Snowfall totals; transit nightmare ongoing

Chorus

Oh, under one wide, restless sky, We’re counting candles, not the time. Through war and whiteout, deals and doubt, We carry one small flame around. From broken wires to healing hands, From trading floors to frozen lands, We fall, we mend, we speak, we try— Still singing under one wide sky.

Verse 2 — Kharkiv in the Dark

Most of Kharkiv lost its light, the night became a wall, Apartments cracked, a school went still, a child’s drawing on a hall. In Kyiv, sacred stones were bruised, a monastery scarred, In Odesa, windows wept and sirens wrote the stars. A general called for more to shield the cities from the rain, Saying what they used to catch is slipping through again. And somewhere at a table set for talks that never last, They set another date for hope to try and cut the past.

Sources:

• Al Jazeera - Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,433
• Radio Free Europe - New Round Of Russian Strikes Kill Four
• Ukrinform - War updates

Chorus

Oh, under one wide, restless sky, We’re counting candles, not the time. Through war and whiteout, deals and doubt, We carry one small flame around. From broken wires to healing hands, From trading floors to frozen lands, We fall, we mend, we speak, we try— Still singing under one wide sky.

Verse 3 — Capitol Standoff

Down on the Hill the clock ran thin, the doors half open, cold, They argued over border lines and what the jails should hold. A leader tried to split the bills, to send the easy through, But stalemates love a winter storm, and weather stalled it too. The odds climbed like a barroom bet with no one strong enough To call it off and keep the lights on ships and planes and trucks. They said the guards would carry on, the rest might fade to gray, While headlines circled, waiting for a final yea or nay.

Sources:

• NBC News - Most of the government could shut down this weekend
• CNBC - The government is barreling toward a partial shutdown
• Fortune - Government shutdown odds hit 77%
• CNBC - Alex Pretti killing: Government shutdown odds grow

Verse 4 — The Mother of All Deals

Across an ocean, ink ran bright, a handshake broke the seal, After half a lifetime’s chase they named it mother of all deals. Tariffs on the heavy steel, on engines, meds, and dyes, Fell like autumn scales of rust from markets’ watchful eyes. A port of bankers opened up, the waves of trade grew wide, Two giants found a common step beneath the changing tides. With other powers raising walls and tariffs ringing steel, They wagered on a longer game, and turned the spinning wheel.

Sources:

• Al Jazeera - India, EU agree on 'mother of all' trade deals
• NPR - India and EU clinch 'mother of all deals' in free trade agreement
• CNBC - India-EU trade deal: What does it do to tariffs
• European Commission - EU-India agreements

Verse 5 — The Healer’s Farewell

In Atlanta morning, quietly, a teacher took his rest, The man who drew a circle round a flame and quelled a pest. Ring the bell for ring vaccination, wisdom cut and clean, He taught the world to chase the spark, not sweep a crowded scene. From CDC to Carter’s porch, to gates that open wide, He wore a medal not for shine but lives he pulled from night. They called him baseball’s greatest name in halls of public health, He left us maps for ending plagues and ways to measure wealth.

Sources:

• STAT News - Public health giant William Foege has died at 89
• The Spokesman-Review - William Foege, medical pioneer who helped stamp out smallpox
• Philadelphia Inquirer - William Foege, 89, leader in smallpox eradication
• Atlanta Journal-Constitution - Dr. Bill Foege, former CDC director, dies at 89

Verse 6 — Circuits and Power

Out on the edge of server farms where deserts meet the grid, A chipmaker doubled down on dreams the future can’t keep hid. They’re hunting land and lines and volts, the hardest things to scale, While racks of humming iron chase a thought across the veil. A scrappy shop of rented clouds stood up to titan heights, With GPUs like lanterns lit in code’s unending night. By decade’s end they aim to stitch a million minds in glass, Where capital and roadmaps point to where the sparks will land.

Sources:

• Tech Startups - Top Tech News Today, January 26, 2026

Bridge

Snow on the runway, smoke on the nave, Voices in chambers, brave after brave. Contracts and wire, memory and code, A healer’s old compass for a hard, new road.

Final Chorus and Ending

Oh, under one wide, restless sky, We’re counting candles, not the time. Through war and whiteout, deals and doubt, We carry one small flame around. From broken wires to healing hands, From trading floors to frozen lands, We fall, we mend, we speak, we try— Still singing under one wide sky. Light it, lift it, pass it on— Let the storm break, let the dark be gone. Raise the gates, mend the lines, Hold the center while the world realigns. Call the names, sign the seals, Shield the cities, close the deals, For the healer, for the child, For the future running wild— Keep singing under one wide sky.