Her Heart Speaks Softly

Firstly, I want to update you on my position regarding the Substack founders reply to the open letter from the Substackers Against Nazis campaign. The response is deeply disappointing but not surprising, and amounts to ‘we are happy platforming and making money from Nazis’. I respect all those who have chosen to leave as a result of it, I also understand those who supported the letter and have decided to stay. Ultimately, I think I will end up leaving the platform, but right now is not the time for me to do that. I’ll update you as and when that evolves.

My soul is heavy with many things as we near the end of 2023. Instead of a new piece, I’m sharing a poem I wrote many years ago. It has taken on new meaning for me amidst the ongoing horrors and heartbreak we are witnessing, and I have adapted it slightly to reflect this. Thank you for joining me in the grief and love of this piece, now a lullaby for the children of Palestine.

Her Heart Speaks Softly

Her heart speaks softly as he dreams,

of shooting stars and bright moonbeams

She whispers songs of endless flight,

that keep him sheltered through the night

She dances rainbows in his head,

he slumbers soundly in his bed

Watercolours flood his mind,

she paints them with her love and kind

And though she cannot hold him near,

his heart can feel her presence here

As she sends sunsets through the air,

that gently stroke his soft brown hair

While poppies kiss his lovely face,

she breathes a cotton warm embrace

of rolling fields and olive trees,

of hopeful, love-filled melodies.

Her heart speaks softly as he dreams,

of shooting stars and bright moonbeams.

— AJ