Borders, Pages, Stages, and Stars

Borders, Pages, Stages, and Stars

Verse 1

At Rafah, the gates breathe open just a crack, A ceasefire whisper carried on desert tracks. Egypt readies stretchers, sirens soft and low, EU coats at checkpoints watch the slow stream flow. Thousands wait with scans and scars to mend, Closed since spring, now a trickle toward an end.

Sources:

• Gaza's Rafah border crossing with Egypt reopens for limited traffic
• Key Gaza border crossing reopens, a step forward in the Israel-Hamas ceasefire
• Gaza's Rafah crossing reopens for limited traffic
• Gaza: Limited Rafah crossing reopening sparks hope – but also 'massive trepidation'

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Chorus

Hold on, world, to the thin lines of hope, Thread them through the dark like a sailor’s rope. Grief in the headlines, faith in the seams, We build by daylight what we lost in dreams. Hold on, world, don’t let go of the light— Small doors open, and hearts make them wide.

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Verse 2

In the steppe, a bus of miners never made it home, A drone found steel and bone on a gravel road alone. Hard hats, lunch pails, and an energy badge, A mother’s ward struck, sirens roll past the damage. Leaders book their seats for talks in desert air, Peace gets scheduled while the smoke hangs there.

Sources:

• Russian drone strike kills 15 in Dnipro as Zelenskyy says more talks next week
• Russian drone attack on bus in Ukraine kills at least 12
• Russian drone strike on bus in Ukraine kills 12 miners

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Chorus

Hold on, world, to the thin lines of hope, Thread them through the dark like a sailor’s rope. Grief in the headlines, faith in the seams, We build by daylight what we lost in dreams. Hold on, world, don’t let go of the light— Small doors open, and hearts make them wide.

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Verse 3

Boxes burst with secrets, the files spill to the floor, A trove of names and shadows we’ve heard before. Power in the margins, but no verdicts in the ink, Some wounds exposed again where redactions break and shrink. The keepers of the record claim the law is done, Yet halls on the Hill ask why only part has run.

Sources:

• Massive trove of Epstein files released by DOJ
• What's inside the latest Epstein files released by the Justice Department
• US Department of Justice releases 3 million new Epstein files
• DOJ releases tranche of Epstein files, says it has met its legal obligations

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Chorus

Hold on, world, to the thin lines of hope, Thread them through the dark like a sailor’s rope. Grief in the headlines, faith in the seams, We build by daylight what we lost in dreams. Hold on, world, don’t let go of the light— Small doors open, and hearts make them wide.

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Verse 4

Moira’s lilt goes quiet, but the laugh still rings, From winter porches to quirky gilded things. Home alone no longer, the candles crowd the stage, Friends and heroes gather, write love across the page. Sketches bow on Saturday, the spotlight takes a knee, A queen of odd and tender leaves the key.

Sources:

• Catherine O'Hara dies at 71. She starred in 'Schitt's Creek' and 'Home Alone'
• Seth Rogen, Eugene Levy and more pay tribute to Catherine O'Hara after her death
• Catherine O'Hara Dead at 71
• Hollywood mourns the death of two-time Emmy winner Catherine O'Hara at age 71

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Chorus

Hold on, world, to the thin lines of hope, Thread them through the dark like a sailor’s rope. Grief in the headlines, faith in the seams, We build by daylight what we lost in dreams. Hold on, world, don’t let go of the light— Small doors open, and hearts make them wide.

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Verse 5

The clock ran out on paychecks and reports, A shuttered wing of government and frayed, impatient courts. Money for the border tied to how the badges act, Body cams and oversight in a bitter, careful pact. The House stacks bills like timber for a bridge, While the jobs page waits on a silent ridge.

Sources:

• Government shutdown live updates as funding fight turns to the House
• WATCH LIVE: House convenes during partial government shutdown
• The House races to end shutdown

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Chorus

Hold on, world, to the thin lines of hope, Thread them through the dark like a sailor’s rope. Grief in the headlines, faith in the seams, We build by daylight what we lost in dreams. Hold on, world, don’t let go of the light— Small doors open, and hearts make them wide.

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Verse 6

A riverfront temple to overtures and plays Goes dark on Independence, for long rebuilding days. A new name sparked walkouts, the balcony stands bare, A family’s wary voices drift across the air. Glass steps back, the opera waits offstage, The symphony asks where to set its page.

Sources:

• Kennedy Center to close for construction for 2 years, Trump says
• Trump says Kennedy Center will close in July for two-year renovation
• Trump announces 2-year closure of Kennedy Center for 'complete rebuilding'
• Trump says he's closing the Kennedy Center for renovations. We have questions

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Final Chorus

Hold on, world, strike the match and raise it high, From border dust to concert sky. Let the miners’ names be sung like steel, Let the paper mountain turn its wheel. Keep the lights for laughter that we’ve known, And when the halls go dark, we’ll make our own. Hold on, world—this fragile, blazing tide, Small doors open, and hearts make them wide. Hold on— We’re the chorus on the other side.