In the quiet hum of her garden, the soil is cool and the blooms are vibrant, but the air carries a persistent chill.

​

Prayer For the Forsaken captures the heavy, hidden labor of an elder. She sits among the flowers she has coaxed into life, her arms reaching toward a sky that feels both vast and indifferent. This is her sanctuary, yet even here, the world refuses to stay out. Behind the beauty of the petals, the "back of her mind" is crowded with the sharp, jagged edges of reality—the cold steel of rifles, the rhythm of marching boots, and the shadow of systems that tear families apart.

​

These are the intruding thoughts that haunt the meditation of the wise. Her prayer is a shield for those being separated by forces beyond their control. As her hands lift, she carries the weight of her people, her family, and the many who have been left behind. Above her, the birds do not just fly; they endure. They are the silent witnesses to her fortitude, rising above the grit and the iron of human conflict.

​

This painting is an intimate look at the resilience of the spirit. It acknowledges that even when we find peace, we carry the grief of the world in our bones. It is a tribute to the power of a single voice raised against the silence of injustice.