What we do with the ashes…

I. Our house is on fire.
II. A movement is only people moving.
III. Rise!
IV. The truth will set you free.
V. We can create transformational action.

Inspired by the words of female activists, "What we do with the ashes" focuses on the current state of our country and the constant targeting of marginalized groups of people that is finally beginning to be brought to light by the media. The cycle begins with Greta Thunberg’s statement, “Our house is on fire.” However, that fire extends far beyond the metaphor for climate change; our world is on fire. As the cycle continues, that “fire” continues to burn. It expresses the anger and frustration, the desperate hope, and the necessary sense of humor that so many Americans have experienced in these past few years amidst so many global and national crises. Writing this cycle began as an outlet for me to communicate the overwhelming anger, fear, and frustration I have felt throughout 2020-21. However, I hope it also serves as a reminder that we can create change. It is our job and our duty to do more than just acknowledge the pain around us; we must take action!

I. Our house is on fire.

Our house is on fire.
We don’t have time to sit on our hands as it burns.

II. A movement is only people moving.

The future depends entirely on what each of us does every day
A movement is only people moving.
People moving to put out a fire
That never really stopped burning.

III. Rise!

Freedom!
How inspiring.
But what does it mean?
The freedom to burn in a house still on fire?

I’ll tell you what Freedom is to me.
No fear.
Fear is a disease that eats away at logic and makes us inhuman.
So we must all become dauntless.
Goddesses of disobedience.

Change takes courage.

Our house is still burning
Burning to ash,
Burning to dust.
But it will rise
Like dust, we will rise.

IV. The truth will set you free.

The truth will set you free
But first it will piss you off.

We have been trained to speak softly and carry a lipstick
While washing clothes and cooking meals,
But we’re coming down from our pedestal and up from the laundry room.
And if they don’t give us a seat at the table, we’re bringing folding chairs.
As it’s so often been said, a woman’s place is in the House…
the House of Representatives.
It’s radical,
But radical simply means "grasping things at the root.”
So, we invite everyone to help us,
And caution that no one can stop us.
Because we’re no longer accepting the things we cannot change,
We’re changing the things we cannot accept.
And we cannot accept that our house is on fire.

V. We can create transformational action.

We can create transformational action.
We weren't at the Last Supper, but we’ll be at the next one.
Because our house is on fire
And we can create transformational action.

On the pulse of this new day
Our flames still burn,
But we all have a choice.
So when the fire is finally dead,
May we have the grace to spread the ashes with an even, steady hand
And give birth to a richer soil for every seed.
Time is on the side of change,
And we can create transformational action.