I Will Sing Louder Than Bombs

Aslam Sheik

Sleep, my child, though the night is wide, I’ll hold the dark from coming inside.

Close your eyes, don’t hear the sky, Just hear my voice, I’m standing by.

I will sing louder than bombs, Louder than fire, louder than drums.

Even if the world comes undone, You’ll only hear your father’s song.

Windows shake, but your heart won’t break, Not while I’ve songs left still to make.

Let the war howl, let the sirens cry, I’ll drown them out, I’ll sing them dry.

I will sing louder than bombs, Louder than fear, louder than wrongs.

Even if the walls come down, You’ll sleep safe beneath my sound.

They may take the streets, the skies, But they won’t take your lullabies.

As long as I can breathe and sing, You’ll never feel a single wing…of war.

I will sing louder than bombs, Louder than grief, louder than guns.

Till the silence comes again, I’ll sing you peace, my little one.

More from Aslam Sheik ↓

• @smmaslam on Instagram
• Aslam Mohammed on Substack
• His book, Paper Boat - in Rumi's Garden, is out now

Mentioned in this episode:

Write After: National Poetry Month with One Poem Only

Write After is a way to encourage poets to listen and write, and use National Poetry Month to highlight how listening to poetry makes us better poets. I know I write the best when I’m surrounded by beautiful poetry–it’s part of the reason I created this podcast, and I want to encourage others to share this practice. We'll get started in April. You can share to #WriteAfterOPO.

#WriteAfterOPO