In the alleys of the city where the shadows whisper tales
Concrete jungles camouflage the truths with fabricated veils
They sow the seeds of venom in every crack they find
Bitter roots take hold in the crevices of the mind
Smoke and mirrors hide the hands that steer
Fueling fires stoking age-old fears
Underneath the theater the puppeteers delight
Turning kin to foes in the dwindling of the light
Hear the cacophony the clamor that divides
Brother against brother each other's despised guide
Whispers turn to roars in the chambers of the night
The stage is set the actors made to fight
Smoke and mirrors hide the hands that steer
Fueling fires stoking age-old fears
Underneath the theater the puppeteers delight
Turning kin to foes in the dwindling of the light
In the echoes of the alleyways beneath the urban blight
Lies the craft of division veiled by the fight
They break us to reshape us in images of disdain
While they barter with our futures our losses their gains
Watch the towers crumble under weights they create
Distractions manifold debates that incinerate
But look behind the curtain where the truths are sold and bought
In the silence of the aftermath the lessons dearly taught
Smoke and mirrors hide the hands that steer
Fueling fires stoking age-old fears
Underneath the theater the puppeteers delight
Turning kin to foes in the dwindling of the light
So question the narratives the tales that divide
In the unity of shadows we might yet turn the tide
For in the darkness binding us a new dawn we could engineer
If we look past the smoke and see the mirrors clear