Night of Fires
By Ashley Blake
America is on fire
The map is lit up like fireflies
dancing in the night
Ash floating up into the skies
Will it quench our rage
Will it soak up our tears
Will the fire rise up to our oppressors ears
The skies are on fire
We lit them up
Watch it burn
Watch it burn
Will we see the tides turn
Will our babies return to their mothers
Instead of the urns
America is on fire
fire that’s been flowing through our veins
The fire we were born with
is lit again
Over and over we bleed and we sin
Crying for justice
Crying to live
the live we were brought into
No one asked what color skin
We would like to be born in
No one asked if we’d like to be mad with the madness
Of being murdered and resented
America is on fire
The fire that’s been lit for generations
That cleared the land for the fields
My ancestors slaved in
America is on fire
Johnson tell us to march
towards the rising sun
Sing till victory is won
How many years have passed
Still chanting a reprise from 1899
looking for liberty in the same land
Still longing for the right to not be forced
into breathing our last breath
America is on fire
The fire that’s fueled
By the blood of our brothers
The tears of our mothers
The silence of our pale friends
Who will stop the fire
When will freedom begin
Ashley Blake, known as LAE (@talesoflae) is a multidisciplinary artist who is passionate about bridging cultural and ethnic gaps. You can easily find her listening to Korean R&B while scouring through editorial photography or sewing a costume for an upcoming shoot. Her work explores the spaces between reality and fantasy, crossing cultural spheres, seeking to explain the things – seen and unseen – that connect us all.
Ashley is the author of Midnight Harvest and Night of Fires, a credited songwriter, recording artist, the creator of “The Girl Who Sees” visual poetry series, as well as an actor that can be seen in “Bakari” and the thriller “One Leg” which will release in Spring 2020.