Sometimes I feel like writing by Junaid Ali Akbar
Sometimes I feel like writing
Junaid Ali Akbar
Sometimes I feel like writing...
Writing words that could shake the earth,
But how foolish of me to think,
That ink could stop the bloodshed.
Sometimes I feel like writing...
When I see the corpses of children,
Hanging from the rubble,
Their bodies too small for the weight of this world,
Crushed by the sins of those who never knew their names.
Sometimes I feel like writing...
When I see fathers cradling their babies' bodies,
Their hands trembling as they carry the weight of loss,
Bombs ripping apart their hearts and homes,
And I wonder, can my words reach where their cries cannot?
Sometimes I feel like writing...
A poem so fierce, it could shatter the silence,
A verse so loud, it could wake the world,
But how silly of me to believe,
That words alone could open the eyes of those who choose to sleep.
Sometimes I feel like writing...
But what good are these lines,
When the world turns away,
When the truth lies buried beneath the rubble,
And the ink dries, as cold as the bodies it tries to honour.
Sometimes I feel like writing...
But I’m just one voice,
One heart breaking in a sea of sorrow,
And while I write, the bombs keep falling,
And the world keeps sleeping.
Sometimes I feel like writing...
But sometimes,
The words are too heavy,
And the silence is all that’s left.
More from Junaid Ali Akbar ↓
- @the.misfitpoet on Instagram
Mentioned in this episode:
Write After 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. If you want to join: Listen to a poem from the month of April on One Poem Only, then write your own in response. I will pick one for each day to read in June for a special series: One Poem After 🍎🍏 Submissions close May 15.
