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Ashes in Flight

by Adeem the Artist

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about

photography by Holly Rainey
self-recorded circa 2014
I left the faith into apostasy circa 2011
began conversing with god again around 2013
moved to New Jersey with my spouse
became a chaplain for the port of Newark briefly
still unsure of faith and practice and mythos and story
found myself in this balanced space,
wrote this song-
hammered it out in my head
while sweeping the basement of an old house

lyrics

we mystics call this unseen thing our mother
and some lay prostrate before Allah as they pray towards the flame
our brothers who are atheists will simply call it love
they do not think it needs another name

and our christian sisters think God is an ocean
that revealed itself inside a drop of rain
we're a patchwork quilt of prophets,
diviners of the way;
stitched as one by our collective joy and pain

we are each of us children of the same great light
ships passing in the night
and everyone contains a universe within their eyes
show me yours,
I'll show you mine

our parents labored ceaselessly to build it
the only temple where our spirits dwell
through drunken nights of worshipping the music at the bar
casting love into the darkness like a magic spell

we are saplings in the forest of existence
infants putting words to wordless things
alive in yellowed photographs inside the futures hands
serendipitously waking to our own being

we make profane petitions
in our closets on our knees
meditate upon the symbols
and not what they mean

so, let love be our religious manifesto
let gentleness become our morning prayer
let kindness be our ceremonial offering to god
let every breath be worship
lay our spirits bare

and I will burn in the fire with my brothers
I will burn until we are clean
I will burn in the fire with my sisters
We will melt into the unseen
I will burn in the fire with my brothers
I will burn until we are clean
I will burn in the fire with my sisters
We will melt into the unseen

credits

released August 7, 2020
photography by Holly Rainey

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Adeem the Artist Tennessee

Adeem is a seventh-generation Carolinian, a makeshift poet, singer-songwriter, storyteller, and blue-collar Artist.

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