Keys to the Ruins

Sirens crying, skyline bleeding

Statues cracked, faith retreating

They said I was elected to save it all…

Now I’m dialing numbers they told me to fear.

I’m the mayor of a city with a heartbeat gone,

Streetlights flicker like they know they wrong,

Campaign promises buried under ash,

Every corner got a memory of a better past.

I tried order, I tried laws, I tried prayer,

But chaos don’t listen when it’s already there,

Heroes vanished when the smoke got thick,

Now the throne feels hollow, every second ticks.

Council scared, they whisper “resign,”

But power don’t wait when the clock hit nine,

So I look at the shadows I once condemned,

If the city’s dying… I might need them.

They said don’t shake hands with the wolves at night,

But the city’s already lost the fight,

If saving it means crossing lines—

Tell me, what’s a sin when the world’s on fire?

So I gave them the keys to the ruins,

Red lights turned to green when they moving,

They don’t wear capes, they wear scars and sins,

But they promise me order at the end.

Yeah, the villains at my table now,

Ink still wet on the deals I signed,

If the city survives, history decides

If I sold my soul… or saved their lives.

They walked in smiling like they owned the dark,

Said “We don’t fix things, we restart,”

One controls fear, one buys the streets,

One turns riots into quiet peace.

They said “Mayor, don’t lie to yourself,

You want control, not just help,”

I saw the truth in the poison they speak,

Power tastes bitter, but it’s still relief.

Curfews enforced by whispered threats,

Crime dropped low but the air feels tense,

City standing, but the cost is clear—

Less hope in the daylight, more order in fear.

I gave them the keys to the ruins,

Let monsters teach men how to move in,

Heroes preach, but they never stay,

Villains rule in the price you pay.

Now the streets are calm, too calm to breathe,

Tell me who the real enemy is,

If the city’s alive but freedom’s thin,

Did I save the people… or cage them in?

Statue of justice got cracks in her face,

Blindfold slipping, scales misplaced,

I hear the city ask my name,

Will they curse it… or engrave?

I was elected to protect the light,

But light don’t shine without the night,

If villains reign so peace can grow,

Then history won’t call me a hero…

Just the man who made the call

When the city had nothing left at all.