the elder to your flower,
i am taught to devour
the darkness that haunts you.
the moment you let go
of the whispers
that eat at your bones,
you will embrace your sun,
and step into your power.

when you look to the horizon,
can you see those who came before us?
they look like us, they talk like us,
they bleed like us, they dream like us.

this is our rebirth.
our reconnaissance,
our revolution,
our black renaissance.

when ray chose love over violence -
he changed our legacy.
traded whips, guns and tear bombs
for words, dance and stills.
the peaceful protest.
the silent killer.
equipped to face the storm
until our lungs expire.
we stretch out our wings -
black doves against a white sky.
reborn from the ashes,
we soar, we fly, we rise.
wildflowers
lit up by wildfires.
— fearless | wildfire

Alexxa Walker and Kheanna Walker
Self-Portrait
Highlands, Scotland
April 16, 2022