An inspiration from Elizabeth Bishop's "Night City" and "Five Flights Up"

Smoke is still on the horizon.
The cloud is coming our way.
In its midst the horrors can still be heard.
Many memories are laden with sorrow.

Who knows when the cloud will pass over us? Indeed it is on us.
When is it time for the new day to shed light on all that needs answering?
When will our memories be burnt away?
Are the past actions too gruesome to melt away?

The wounds of our hearts cannot be healed,
they lay open for the scavengers to feast upon.
Like a rotting bloody corpse its stench welcomes its prey.
Many come and try to heal, but end up dead.

Is this something that will heal on its own?
Or is the torture of the cloud the process of healing?
Oh, how we wish someone-something up above could see
all of the harm and injustice done unto us.

It seems all hope is lost,
The lakes of this town have flooded
with tears from our eyes.
For once we feel abandoned and freedom cannot be bought at any cost.

But wait! Up on the horizon,
behind the cloak of sorrow.
The beginning of a new time seems near,
and so does the smoky cloud's rear.

Will we be able to understand the new light's message?
Have our prayers been heard from somewhere up above?
There in the day's rays some evidence is seen.
It is possible that our sorrows will be swept away.

All that is needed is the new day to consume us.
We mustn't be the people who forget the past damage,
for it is in the grief that our freedom is made priceless.

A dog or a bird will know when and what the day brings,
because they are creatures created by the light.
They know bad things happen,
but know they will be taken care of by their masters.

We have to adopt the simple minds of simple creatures.
We have to remain loyal, like the dog, to see the answers that the light will bring.
The bird does not worry about what it will eat each day
because up above, the creator takes care of them in each and every way.

Oh the light is upon us!
Sometimes we slip back into the past.
But we must remember there's no need for this because the agony will never last.

Now we walk in the warmth of its many graces
and feel its merciful kisses on our faces.
The dark fog has evaporated and turned into day
and an impossible and depressing situation is turned gay.