A Poem
By Brittany Gregory
They want us to believe the story is over.
That the fire has burned too long,
that the wreckage is all that remains,
that nothing can rise from the ashes.But we know better.We are the children of those
who built from scraps,
who created from nothing,
who turned loss into legacy,
who made a way when there was none.Darkness does not mean defeat.
Ashes are not the end.From every broken system, we imagine something new.
From every stolen right, we reclaim our power.
From every failed promise, we build a future
where justice is not just spoken, but lived.
They can burn down books, but they cannot erase knowledge.
They can defund schools, but they cannot kill our dreams.
They can try to silence us, but we will still sing.Because hope is a thing with deep roots,
because faith is the bridge between now and what will be,
because we refuse to leave the impossible alone.So through the darkness and the ashes,
we create,
we build,
we rise.
Poem and accompanying artwork originally appeared in Partners for Impact, LLC’s April 2025 newsletter. partnersforimpact.com
Read more of Brittany’s work: https://substack.com/@beeksspeaks?r=1ylw9w&utm_medium=ios